


Forgotten

by Walkingfandomss



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), Walking Dead
Genre: Original Characters - Freeform, Survival, Zombie Apocalypse, the walking dead - Freeform, twd, zombie outbreak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Walkingfandomss/pseuds/Walkingfandomss
Summary: They said it was a virus. They told us they were working on a cure. That was before the dead rose again and started feeding on the living. What was happening in Britain during the zombie apocalypse? Follow a group of young survivors as they adapt to the challenges of the new world.Set in the same universe as the Walking Dead.





	1. Static

Forgotten

A flu. That's all they said it was at first. Nothing more than a virus. They say it started on the West coast of Africa and somehow made its way across to us. And that's what everyone believed it was. I mean, what else could it be? The doctors didn't know. They had never seen anything like this before, and they sure as hell couldn't explain it. People were terrified, so they had to tell them something. A flu? Yeah right. People bought that too, well you know, up until the dead rose and started feeding on the living. We should have believed it was vampires before we believed anything the government wrote it off to be. I mean what kind of virus can reanimate a dead brain? What kind of virus turned you into one of those things?

It was simple enough at first.

You got infected.

You got a fever.

You died.

Nobody mentioned the part where you came back.

That's how this shit destroyed the world... Well, most of it anyway.

Chapter 1 - Static

It was past midnight and the room was only lit by the muted TV and the faint blue haze of phone screens. Alex, Layla and Zoe lounged on the couches in Layla's living room in pyjamas and swamped by blankets. The trio chatted light-heartedly, filling the others in on the latest gossip from their schools. One of these sleepovers became a ritual for these friends during the school holidays as going to different schools made the quality time they spent together pretty scarce.

Alex, being seventeen and the eldest of the three, was a reserved and smart girl with a mature and rational nature. Her tender heart coupled with a fierce determination to do what was right made her a valuable ally to those she loved. However, her defiance in the face of pain made it easy for her to mask her emotions meaning opening up to people was harder than Alex cared to admit.

Zoe was a petite girl with innocent hazel eye and faint freckles littering her fair complexion, making her appear younger than her actual age. Her innocence stretched into her personality meaning she fretted over trivial things for needless periods of time. This however left room for her to see a good side to everyone. Being only fifteen, some saw it only as childhood naiveté, but the kindness Zoe showed was pure. Layla, on the other hand, was another story.

She was your typical "Mean Girl" with a sass level much higher than her IQ. One false move around Layla would leave a person victim to death glares and snarky insults for the rest of time. Layla hated school and the people in it only tolerating a few fortunate souls. For these select few, Layla showed the same compassion and vulnerability of any other sixteen-year-old girl, shedding her bitch mask to let her caring side shine.

The three made a dysfunctional friendship group but despite their differences, got along in harmony.

"Ugh, Shannon is such a slut!" Scoffed Layla dropping her phone in disgust.

"Shannon Gordon?" Alex asked, confused, taking the discarded phone in curiosity. "Isn't she your friend?"

"Not with pictures like that all over her profile." Layla grumbled snatching the device back and bringing up said pictures on her screen "Why would you even take photos like that in the first place?"

Alex didn't know what to expect but was confronted with a picture of the young girl she vaguely recognised in shorts and a crop top; cleavage on show and posing in her bathroom mirror.

"My parents would kill me if I wore anything like that." Alex laughed turning her attention back to her own group chat where she and her friends were trying to arrange a trip to the cinema.

"Lemme' see." Zoe piped up from the opposite chair. Layla tossed her phone and Zoe caught it with ease.

"Jesus Christ," she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows in mock horror. "where is her mother?"

They all chuckled as Zoe threw the phone back

"Ugh I've got a tonne of homework to do before we go back to school," Alex groaned, burying her head under the duvet "and my geography coursework isn't even finished."

"I did all mine at the start of the holiday," Zoe commented absentmindedly, not taking her eyes off the tv. Layla wasn't even listening. Alex just rolled her eyes. It was coming to the end of the February half-term holiday and the girls were having the last catch up before they became swamped in school work for the new term.

"There's nothin' to watch" Zoe sighed picking up her phone and the music of one of her addictive games played causing the other two to groan.

"What time is it?" Alex yawned lying on her pillow, bringing her duvet over her head.

"Just gone one." Zoe yawned as well burying under her own duvet and picking the remote back up to go through the channels.

"Put BBC on or something. The news is probably on." Alex replied rolling over to face the couch "I'll be asleep soon anyway. I'm shattered."

"Lightweight," Layla mumbled, still not looking up from her phone, chewing her nails.

The tv flickered as the news began with same old headlines; it had been like that for weeks now.

'Deadly disease wipes out hundreds in African village'

'Symptoms are seen in widespread Asian towns'

'Two men dead in South America'

'Aid workers kept in quarantine in England'

It was odd, but they assured it was nothing to worry about. News coverage told them it was just a flu strain that had mutated, killing people with poor health care. Doctors' offices up and down the country were jammed packed with people of all ages with symptoms this strange flu. High fever, headaches and delirious behaviour. Some people were sent off to intensive care units, but nobody seemed to know if or when they would recover. There were rumours of some people burning up with a fever and dying within hours. Other whispers spoke of a demented behaviour in victims causing them to attack others. But they were only rumours. The strangest part of it all was when the funerals were stopped. People were told to alert the authorities when a relative passed away. Their bodies were collected within the hour of them passing by a team of government medics. But they assured the nation they had it under control.

"What a load of bullshit." Layla moaned again looking up from her phone for a second "The press just glorify everything..."

She looked down at Alex who's breathing had already evened out and was fast asleep. Zoe the same curled up on the opposite sofa.

Sighing, Layla switched off her phone and lay down onto her pillow, closing her eyes. It only took a few minutes for her to slip slowly into sleep just as the tv signal failed, filling the room with the sound of soft, even breaths and the dull hum of static.


	2. What is Happening?

"Layla...Layla c'mon wake up." Urged Peter in a hushed voice. "Zoe, Alex... you too."

The girls groggily awoke as Peter - Layla's dad - shook them on the shoulder and continued to bustle around the room.

"What's up Peter?" Yawned Alex pushing herself into a sitting position and rubbing the sleep out of her deep blue eyes. Zoe was also sat up on her chair, looking slightly confused to why they were being rudely awakened.

"I just need you girls to get up and get ready." He replied opening a draw, pulling out an old torch and batteries. "Layla! Now."

Peter was a tall, bald man with a kind face in his early 40's. He had the same forest green eyes as Layla but wore a funny smirk, unlike his daughters' scowl.

"Daaadd!" Layla whined pulling the duvet over her head "Why are you waking us up? It's still early AND it's Saturday."

Just as Peter opened his mouth to scold Layla and hurry her up Claire - Layla's mum- entered the room carrying a large box of toiletries from upstairs.

"Do as your dad says, sweetie. Girls, I need you to get dressed, your parents on their way."

"Mum, what the hell is going?" Layla asked, now fully awake like the others. Fear prickled within them all at Layla's parents' strange behaviour, sensing something was wrong. The girls all exchanged a worried glance.

"I'll explain once you're dressed, right now I need you three to go upstairs and get your clothes on. Be quick, we don't have long."

"Yes, Mrs Howard." Said Alex and Zoe in unison.

"Yes, mom."

Alex grabbed her small backpack and hurried upstairs, following Zoe and Layla. All their minds were racing. What the fuck was going on. They hastily got changed in silence, none of them knew how to put what they were feeling into words.

"I'm scared." Zoe said apprehensively "You don't think it's that virus do you?"

She directed this at Alex who was busy trying to tame her thick dark hair into a ponytail.

"I... I dunno."

It was true - Alex didn't know what to think. None of them did. For weeks this virus covered the newspapers and headlines. Naturally, everybody was on edge but they said they were working on a cure. A few people left town to be with loved ones. Some people left out of fear.

The girls all lived on the far outskirts of a city. Not quite the 'countryside' as such but the town centre was a 20-minute train journey away. One end was 'The Village'- as the locals called it- it had a train station, an old pub, a few takeaway restaurants, a couple of corner shops and a small supermarket. It wasn't the biggest or nicest place but it worked for the people who lived close by. All the houses were about 3 roomed with decent gardens- again not fancy, but it worked. Further up the road was a small petrol station and a little further than that was another 'express store' and a small community centre with a library, doctors surgery and a small park. In the middle of the local area was a primary school that backed onto huge fields and forest that was known as 'the Valley'. It was a nature reserve with rivers, walking trails and a big working farm the other end. And at the very top of the road was another pub and a row of small shops - a chemist with a dentist upstairs, an off-licence, hairdressers and a chippy.

It was a tight-knit community and everyone knew one another. It wasn't surprising when this thing started, people got worried. They heard stories - people died. That's when families started avoiding people, not wanting to get to close to anyone. Most people left. It got quiet. It got creepy, but people just carried on with their life.

Layla sat down on the edge of her bed, her chewing at her nails.

"I mean... It's probably nothing. My dad is just overreacting as always."

The worried look in her eyes told another story.

"Let's just get downstairs and let your parents explain" replied Alex, shrugging on her jacket and backpack, opening the door for the others "C'mon, let's go."

The girls trailed back downstairs, Zoe and Alex with their bags on their backs from the overnight stay, ordered straight into the living room by Layla's parents who were packing up the car with food, clothes and blankets. Layla was pacing the living room chewing on her nails, Zoe staring nervously off into space and Alex tapping her feet and cracking the joints in her hand.

Peter and Claire burst into the living room with a small box and started filling it with little items from the various draws around the room- a small sewing kit, a few boxes of matches, small candles and some sentimental items from the family- like an old teddy of Layla's and a small photo album.

"Mom what on earth is going on, you're scaring me," Layla asked walking over to where her mom was kneeled, rummaging through a cupboard full of various books.

"Sweetie not now," sighed Claire, not looking up from the cupboard she was going through "just help your dad and I pack"

"Pack? For what? What's going on?" She questioned further, her worry only growing. "Where are we going?"

"Layla plea.."

"No, mom!" She interrupted "What is going on? First you wake us up at God knows what time, you order us to get changed... We come back down and you've packed half the house into the car! It's madness! I want to know what's happe..!"

"ENOUGH!" Peter bellowed "Claire, she deserves to know what's going on, they're old enough to understand. "

Claire just sighed and turned her back on the girls. They were all now sat on the sofa, Peter stood in front of them with a calm face but they could all see the worry that crept into his eyes.

"I take it you've all heard about this virus that's been making people sick?"

The girls just nodded in response

"Well, it doesn't just make them sick it...well.."

Layla interrupted

"Yeah, we know... People die. Loads have. It's nothing new."

"Layla. Just shut up and let your dad explain" Alex snapped earning a signature glare from Layla. Zoe elbowed her and between them, they got her to keep from retaliating further.

"It changes them." Stated Peter, seeming uncertain himself.

There were a few seconds of confused silence.

"You mean they get delirious? Like from the fever?" Zoe asked, trying to comprehend what the man was telling them.

"No, I mean.." Peter stammered not knowing what to say to the girls "After you die...you come back."

"That's not possible."

"No way."

"What the hell."

They all said at once. Minds racing with hundreds of questions and feelings just waiting to spill out.

"I know, it's scary and confusing. I wish I had an explanation but I only know as much as you do."

"I still don't understand," Layla murmured now standing up and hugging her fathers' side "why do we have to leave?"

"Because it's not safe munchkin," he pulled away looking down at his daughter "those people are dangerous"

"But they're dead... It's impossible..." Zoe interrupted again, trying to justify the situation with a logical explanation of events.

"Those creatures...those things... Whatever they are, dead is not one of them. They attack people - bite people for Christ sake."

"Bite people?" Alex echoed now standing as well.

"Innocent people...they attack them and they start...they start.."

"That's enough now," Claire piped in, she turned to Peter "they're only children. They don't need to know.."

"They eat people? Right?" Alex asked, looking up at the adults "there were rumours going around online, saying the fever made people go crazy, they started eating each other. Like cannibals. That's what's going on right?"

Peter nodded at the girl

"All we need to do is get out of here. Zoe your family is outside, Alex you're going with them. We'll be right behind you.."

"Wait you still haven't told us what's going on... Where are we going"

Peter picked up the last few boxes as Claire carried them out to the car and the girls pulled their shoes on.

"An evacuation warning came through last night. The military is escorting people down to the coast a few at a time" Peter explained shooing the girls onto the driveway and locking up the house. "They told us to stay with people we want to be with... So in the meantime, we're holding up at Alex's place with Zoe, her family and a few others as it's the biggest. There are a few empty houses on the square that we can use until the army come and take us to a safe zone down south.. They've put up a temporary fence around the square so we figured it would be the safest."

It was true. Alex was the oldest of 4 children in her family so her house was naturally the biggest. Zoe had one younger sister and Layla was an only child. Alex lived on "the square" and as the name suggests, it was a square of 20 or so houses with a square patch of grass and a few trees in the middle.

Suddenly, three loud shots rang through the air followed by screaming and snarling. They all whipped around to see an army officer with his gun trained on a... Man? A thing with one arm, bloodstained skin and a wound across his stomach which was alone, enough to kill any person. It was like something out of your worst nightmare. The 'man' didn't back down and kept advancing on the officer. The gun went off again, hitting the 'man' in the chest...but it kept coming. Layla was already in her car, but you still heard a faint scream as Claire covered her mouth to shut her up. Zoe bit back a sob of terror and Alex was silently horrified as they scrambled into the back of Zoe's parents' car. After a brief struggle, the officer wailed and they turned to see the man latched onto his arm with its mouth, ripping the flesh with his teeth. Blood was everywhere. Red soaked his uniform as he fell to his knees at the mercy of the beast. The army officer pleaded for help but the families just watched as the man was torn apart.

Layla was crying in complete terror, Zoe wretched (luckily they hadn't eaten that morning or Alex would be wearing the contents of Zoe's stomach) as Alex just stared in horrified disbelief.

"Can't we help him," Layla sobbed from the back of the other car staring at the beast devour the other man "we need to get him to a hospital, let's call an ambulance. We have to do something"

"He's been bitten" Peter replied looking even more terrified than before flashing his lights at Zoe's dad in the other car, signalling him to drive on. "We can't help him. He belongs to the dead now."

The two cars sped off the driveway and up the deserted street to Alex's families house. In search of a small sanctuary, they left the horrors of that morning in the street behind them. The screams of pain had stopped and the faint gurgle of blood was the only sign of the officers continued suffering as he bled on the tarmac. And that was just the beginning.


	3. Left for the Dead

The two cars pulled up on Alex's street with everyone inside still shaken from the recent trauma. What were those monsters? It walked away from a bullet to the chest and advanced on the officer that fired the shot, tearing him open. It ripped the flesh from his bones all while he was still screaming. A blood-curdling scream that hung in the minds of these survivors.

It was just like Peter had said. The military had put up two fences at either end of the road, gating in the square and the small stretch of road that lead to it. Two army officials manned the fence from the top of their trucks, both heavily armed, with a few more troops seated inside the vehicle.

Cautiously Peter got out his car and beckoned Vincent - Zoe's father - to follow. They approached the gate slowly, not wanting to startle the men with the guns.

"Sarge!" one of the men on lookout called over his shoulder causing the men in the truck to hop out, holding their guns. "We have people!"

"Infected?" Asked another tall man appearing at the watch post on the gate

"No, sir... Just people."

A few nervous seconds passed until they heard a chain clattering and the heavy gates were pulled aside and the Sargent with two younger troops greeted.

"Good morning, I'm Sargent Andrews, and this is Private Peterson and Private Stewart." said the man introducing both him and his troops.

"G'morning, I'm Peter Howard and this is Vincent Baker. We got told you were evacuating people and we figured this was the safest place to be...with the country being as it is and all."

"Smart move sir. We've already evacuated everyone in a mile radius and set up this temporary safe zone for people we have missed or those waiting for family." Sargent Andrews continued "Why don't you get your families out the car, so we can register you and get you inside these gates."

The families scrambled out the car pulling a few bags with them to take inside.

"We will assign you an empty house for you to use for the time being." addressed Sargent Andrews, pulling out what looked like some sort of register. "I need each of your full names, age and address."

"Peter Howard,42; Clair Howard,40 and Layla Howard, 16- 73 Linden Avenue." Peter reeled off to the Sargent who flipped through his papers and filled in some boxes. He moved over to Zoe's family.

"Vincent Baker, 45; Jessica Baker 43; Zoe Baker, 15 and Elizabeth Baker 13. 132 Highfield close"

The Sargent finally turned to Alex who was stood slightly off to one side in a world of her own.

"And who do we have here?" Prompted the Sargent, snapping Alex back to reality.

"Alexis Evans, 17, 14 Appleton Square."

The man looked up from his paper and studied the girl

"Are Helen and Daniel Evans your parents? " He inquired.

"Yes sir," she answered "are they okay?"

"They're inside." he replied lowering the pages of notes "Refused to be moved until you got here."

Alex let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and shuffled over to stand with Zoe.

"You might not like to hear this but before we can let you inside, we're going to have to check you for any bites or scratches." the Sargent explained calmly "It's nothing more than a precaution we have to take now."

"Check us?" Peter asked defensively "What do you mean by that?"

"Check your skin, see if the infected got to you before you got to us." he said, "So if you wouldn't mind, I have to ask you to remove your out layer of clothing."

Compiling, the group shrugged off their jackets and stood outstretched as a group of officers patted them down, checking for any sign of a bite or scratch.

"Why are you checking for bites?" Alex asked as one of the younger officers rolled up her trouser leg.

"As far as we know, the bites are how this infection spreads." replied private Stewart, standing up satisfied "The bite infects you, you get the flu and you die. But then you come back...Have you seen a Walker yet?"

"A Walker?"

"One of the infected. The 'monsters' for lack of a better term."

Alex just nodded solemnly.

"Well you come back as one of them and nothing stops you accept a bullet to the brain." He said, seeming exasperated at Alex's questioning. "That's why we check for bites."

Stewart nodded at his Sargent before returning to his post, earning an eye roll from Alex.

"Alright!" Sargent Andrews piped up "I thank you people for your cooperation, we will have you inside shortly. One last thing, for safety reasons we're making it so every person over the age of 16 carries a knife. You should be perfectly safe in there until we escort you to the coast, but we have to be prepared for anything."

Private Peters appeared with 6 combat knives and belt holders, handing one each to the adults and finally one to Alex and Layla.

"You be careful with that young lady, it's not a toy." the private joked.

"I know... Thanks." Alex returned bluntly.

"We thank you again for your cooperation. We will be sending for you later to be taken down to the coast." Sargent Andrews said unlocking the gate and pulling it aside "You have houses 15 and 16."

With that, the group were inside the gates, reassured only by the flimsy wire gating and the uniformed officers that patrolled them with assault weapons.

Alex made a beeline for her house as the others moved to their assigned houses. She hadn't even opened the door fully when something barrelled into her legs.

"Lexis!" Her youngest brother Freddie shouted hugging her around her legs "MUM! DAD! Lexis is back!"

Her parents came into the hallway followed by her other two siblings. Her mother hugged her frantically.

"Alex, oh my god are you okay?"

"Yes, mum I'm fine. Just a little shaken up." She replied pushing her mother off gently, not liking the affection.

That was the understatement of the year. Alex and the other girls were witnesses to horrific events that were enough to scar any person for a lifetime. But her 3 younger siblings were there so she put on a brave face. It was her job to protect them from what was outside.

Freddie had just turned 4 and was the liveliest child going, constantly running around and playing make-believe games. The second youngest was Charlie, her 10-year-old sister who was everything fashion, always thinking she was older than she was. Finally, was her 14-year-old brother Sam who was a video game fanatic and mathematics genius.

The house had four bedrooms to cater for the family and a garden for their dog, Alfie.

The next few hours were spent packing up boxes and bags ready for the move. Alex helped Freddie choose a few toys and packed him a few clothes into his little bumblebee backpack and helped her parents move some personal belongings into their car. They didn't need much as the army told them everything would be provided for them in the safe zone; like toiletries, more clothes, food and housing. Once they were done, all the families waited outside next to the cars ready to be taken to the safe zone. On the square was currently 8 families- a few with children of their own.

Sargent Andrews stood on top of his truck looking around the people, his professional demeanour not wavering.

"Everybody!" He announced "As you know we planned to escort you all in your own cars in one final run to the coast. However, a problem occurred on our last run to stop us from doing that."

The small crowd mumbled nervously between themselves. Layla held onto Zoe's arm a little tighter than before.

"The safest option now is to get you into our military vehicles and move you down in smaller groups. This way we can protect you better and ensure your safety." Andrews paused "On our first run we will prioritise children 14 and under and their mothers..."

Then there was an uproar

"My daughter is only 15 she needs to go too!"

"What about my husband!"

"I'm not leaving my other children!"

"ENOUGH!" Andrews interrupted. "We can only take ten people at a time. You can choose to refuse and wait for the next run but that won't be until tomorrow morning as it's not safe to travel when it's dark."

It was only mid-day but being early February, it got dark at around 4 pm.

"I said the priority is with children under 14 and that decision is final." The crowd hummed in agreement  
"However anyone under 18 can't stay without a parent."

The Sargent scanned the crowd for any more objections. Everyone was silent.

"First up. Baker; Elizabeth and Jessica. Evans; Freddie, Charlie Sam, Helen. Davis; Billy and Betty. Thompson; Jack and Ellie." he called out the names "As I said, you can turn down your place on this first run but we're leaving in ten minutes."

The Davis family were a kind couple with a son the same age as Sam. They were the first to pipe up and refuse their place.

"We can wait, give our places to Mr Thompson and their other kid. Let them stay as a family."

"If you're sure?" the Sargent asked and the Davis' nodded in response "Okay, Ruth and Joe. You're up."

"As for the rest of you left behind. We can't afford to leave any troops, but we can leave you with a few guns, ammo and knives. We recommend put a few men on guard. Keep the noise and light to a minimum- it attracts the infected. Also, with the change in circumstances, it might be best to move into two or three of the houses so you're all together." He spoke to the crowd "You should be safe inside these gates and we should be back for the rest of you in at noon tomorrow. If we run into difficulties, expect us at the maximum 3 days. We have to move quickly so lets get moving."

Those who qualified for the first run began bidding goodbyes to their families before loading themselves and their belongings into the trucks. Zoe turned to her mother and sister who were fussing about being split up.

"It's fine, dad and I will be okay. It's not like we're being left for dead. We will see you tomorrow."

Vincent hugged his wife and his youngest daughter.

"Yup we'll be right behind you."

Behind them, Alex and her family were exchanging goodbyes and had persuaded the Sargent to let them take the dog on the journey to the safe zone. Alex hugged little Freddie and lifted him into the truck and ruffled his hair.

"Bye 'Lex, bye dad, see you tomorrow!"

In his little world, he was going on a holiday, but the cars had broken down, so they had to go with the army men instead.

Alex and her dad hugged her mother and her sister then let them climb into the truck. She then bent down to fuss her dog who jumped and licked her face, which made Alex smile as she passed him up to her mom in the truck. Sam hugged his dad then nodded towards Alex before turning to get in the truck. Alex grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Listen to me... You have to keep them safe." said Alex in a stern voice, placing her knife holder into her oldest brothers' hands "I don't care who or what it is out there. The worlds not like it was before. You keep them safe okay? Sam promise me you keep Freddie and Charlie safe?"

"I promise." said Sam taking the knife "But mum..."

"You know what mums like, she can't even watch a horror movie without shitting her pants," Alex smirked but she knew her mother would be no use if something were to go wrong. "You have to be there for the little ones. No matter what."

"You know I will."

"Good." Alex then pulled her brother into a hug before Sam followed into the truck. Once everyone was counted for, the gates were opened and the three trucks pulled away. Peter and Vince chained the gates behind them. From the outside the last thing they heard was the call of Sargent Andrews voice.

"Remember! If it's the Infected! It will only kill 'em if u get the brain!"


	4. Here for the Long Run

Chapter 4- Here for the Long Run

The chains on the gate rattled as Vincent locked them. Everyone who was left behind stood on the patch of grass with Sargent Andrews words still lingering in the air. The community now consisted of 15 people;

Alex and her father Daniel stood in a group with Zoe, her father Vincent and Layla and her parents. To their right, was the Davis family; Betty and Frank with their only son, Billy. They were accompanied by Jayne and Adrian Mackenzie- a middle-aged couple with no children of their own. Finally, the Matthews family. Christina, to the best of Alex's knowledge, was a single mother of two; 17-year-old Tobias and 6-month-old Rae. Apart from the Howard's and the Bakers, the rest of the families were former residents of the square.

Jayne and Adrian had lived on the square for as long as Alex could remember. They were a loving couple who treated all the children as their own family. Being chefs by trade, they loved to have all the children around their house for dinner every so often. The Davis' moved in the same time Sam and Billy were born and had lived there for nearly 14 years. Sam and Billy grew up as close friends and were always at one another's houses playing a new video game. The Matthews had lived on the square for a little over three months meaning Alex knew very little about the reserved family. When they first moved in, Alex's mum became quite friendly with Christina, learning they moved to get away from the children's father. She never went into detail, but they could only presume it was bad. Tobias was in the same school year as Alex but the two had never spoken, having no reason to interact before that day. Rae was the cutest little baby with giant green eyes and curly, blonde hair. It was rare to see the two apart, with Tobias always carrying her around on his hip.

Daniel was the first to break the silence.

"We need to draw up a watch schedule." he looked around addressing the group of people, "The Sargent said they'll be back in a few days tops but until then we need to keep this place safe ourselves."

"We'll be safer together." Peter joined in "We should move into these two houses while we wait for them to come back. It'll be easier to defend if anything was to go wrong."

Peter gestured towards numbers 14 and 15 and the families muttered in agreement. They were the corner two houses and seemed the most logical to use as they were furthest from the gate.

"The kids and I can clear out the houses," Betty offered, stepping forward. "we can move anything we don't need into number 16 for now and bring in any spare pillows, blankets and the little food that's left."

"Good." said Peter turning to the crate of weapons the Sargent had left them "There's enough for everyone so if you're old enough come and get one."

Peter and Daniel handed out the small handguns and rest of the knives to the adults. Frank approached the men with an arm around his sons' shoulders.

"I want Billy to have one," He said taking a gun for himself and securing it into his belt "I know he's not technically old enough, but we've seen what's happening out there and he needs one."

Peter and Daniel looked at each other until Daniel sighed.

"I suppose that's not really our call to make." he took out another gun and handed it to the boy "It's not a toy son. Be careful."

Frank smiled at the men and walked back to his wife, leaving Peter and Daniel to distribute the rest of the weapons.

"Dad?" Layla called from behind the men "We want one as well."

The men whipped around and were confronted by Layla, Alex and Zoe stood together in a small huddle.

"Not happening." Peter scoffed turning back to the create sorting through the leftover artillery. Daniel however, eyed his daughter, who was stood confidently with her arms folded across her chest.

"Aren't you supposed to have a knife?"

"I gave it Sam..." Alex replied looking at her feet guiltily "But I want a gun."

"Why did you give your knife to your brother?" He asked almost exasperated but not shocked.

"I wasn't going to let him go out there without one." she argued defiantly "I watched a man have his arm chewed off this morning. I know what it's like out there. That's why I want one. If we're here for the long run, I want to be able to protect myself."

Daniel looked at his daughter then turned to the crate producing another knife and a handgun.

"Now you listen to me young lady, I know you're not stupid but this is big shit. If I ever catch you being stupid with this gun, you will never lay hands on one again." he said sternly, placing the gun and knife in his daughters' hands "And don't go giving this knife away either. I suppose I'll have to teach you how to use it but until then, just keep the gun in your belt."

Alex smiled, securing her new weapons into her waistband.

"Thanks, dad."

"Zoe I'm going to have to speak to your dad about this. I don't mind you having one because I can teach you but it's not my call to make." Daniel said "Vince!"

Vincent looked up from where he was standing with the Davis family, heading over as Daniel beckoned him.

"Zoe wants some weapons." Daniel stated and held his hands up at Vincent's horrified look "Frank let Billy have a gun and Alex and Layla were given a knife off the army officials. She's technically old enough to shoot so I figured she could have a handgun as well if you were okay with it. It's not my decision but it will be safer if we can all protect ourselves as well as each other."

Vincent looked like he was considering his options carefully, studying his daughters pleading face.

"Zoe, you can have a knife but that's it, you will be safe in here until the army comes back."

"Dad you saw what happened out there today." Zoe interrupted "If one of them things can take down an armed soldier, then what chance do I stand if something goes wrong."

"You don't even know how to use one of those things," Vincent argued weakly

"Then I can learn." Zoe squared her shoulders and looked straight into her father's eyes "Daniel is teaching Alex, so he can teach me too. And I know it's not a toy..."

"Okay! Okay!" Vincent threw his hands up in defeat "Just up until the army comes back. The second we're on that truck you give it back okay? Your mother will kill me if she found out."

Zoe smirked as Daniel passed her her own knife and loaded handgun and secured it to her side.

Layla was not happy.

"Dad why do you have to be so difficult!" She practically screamed making the group jump. "All the kids have some sort of weapon now, why can't I?"

Peter wheeled, his anger boiling at his daughters' outburst.

"You are sixteen," Peter grunted slamming the lid on the crate of artillery. He had taken the knife that the Sargent had issued her away "I'm not having my little girl walking around with a handgun when she's perfectly fine without one."

"Fine?" Layla scoffed folding her arms "Is that what you think we are? Dad we're locked in here with monsters tearing people apart outside and you think we're fine?!"

Claire came out of one of the houses and made her way to where her husband and daughter were arguing.

"What's going on here?" she interrupted trying to diffuse the situation.

"Layla wants a gun." Peter explained.

"Excuse me?" Claire asked mortified, blinking like this was all some sort of joke.

"This is crazy, everyone has them, the worlds not like it was anymore. I'm not stupid. I know I can't go waving it around like a mad woman." Layla argued, not backing down easily "All the others have them now, and it's not exactly like I'm a kid anyway."

"Layla Howard you are sixteen years old" Peter imputed angrily.

"Billy's 14 and he gets one!" She exclaimed in her own defence

"Over my dead body..."

"So that's what it takes?" Layla said "If someone dies, I can have a gun? Dad... you saw what the infected do. If I get ripped apart it's on yo..."

"Don't even speak like that young lady." Peter warned, "The army is 'gonna keep us safe and we can have normal lives while we wait for this shit storm to be over."

"Peter. She's right." Claire added quietly looking sympathetically at her daughter. "She's not exactly a child anymore Peter. And the world isn't exactly safe. We're on our own in here and if the other children have one, I'll feel better if Layla has one too."

"Unbelievable!" Peter exclaimed, "Not this morning you were trying to keep this from the girls now you want to give our daughter a gun?"

"That was before I saw those...things." Claire added fear creeping into her voice "It's like Layla said, does it take someone else to die for us to realise it's not safe? Or do we teach her how to use a gun so she can protect herself...even after we're not around anymore?"

Peter grew silent. He hated this. Obviously, he knew they weren't safe anymore but the army would be back to protect them. He just wanted to hold onto the old world a little longer.

"Fine," he agreed bluntly "but the same goes for you. The second the army comes back, that gun is no longer yours. You got it?"

Layla smirked, taking her new weapon "Yeah. Thanks, dad."

Daniel turned to the three girls "Let's hope the army get a move on... If they're not back soon, you girls will be running this place."

"You better count on it." Alex retorted with a bark of laughter

"On a serious note." Daniel said addressing the three of them at once "This is not something you take lightly, do you understand? We're treating you like adults, do not make us regret it."

The three of them nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. With that, Alex, Zoe and Layla walked towards the houses where the others were getting them ready for the rest of the group to move in and sat on the wall outside. Zoe took out her gun and placed it on the wall, staring at it.

"How do you even use this thing?" She asked picking it up again and aiming it at a nearby wall, looking down the barrel.

"No idea," Alex stated "but put it away. It was hard enough persuading them to give us them. If you go waving yours about, your dad will have it off you in a heartbeat."

Zoe put the gun back in its holder. The others had decided that Alex, Daniel, Zoe, Vincent, Layla, Claire and Peter would stay in the Evans' old house while the rest of them would move next door into number 15.

"Girls! Can you bring those boxes through for me please?" Betty's voice rang through the house.

"Yeah! We'll be right through!" Zoe replied jumping down from the wall.

"I'm not anyone's slave." Layla scoffed, still seated "I'm not moving anything for anyone."

"C'mon we all need to help." Zoe sighed as she and Alex lifted a box of food and moved it into the house.

"Ugh I'll help for a bit, but I swear if I break a nail... Someone is getting it."

Everyone was pitching in to get the houses ready. Alex's old room had three mattresses for the three girls courtesy of Frank and Vincent. The other upstairs rooms were now being used for storage for random odds and ends as the adults decided to take the living room for the night. They would be on alternating watch through the night so being downstairs meant they disturbed the others less. However, even after they cleared out all 20 houses of food and medical supplies, the group were understocked on both. They figured that these were the things the families would have packed and left with. Billy, Zoe, Layla and Alex spent most of the day collecting bottles and filling them with water out of all the houses and moving them to the kitchen of number 14. They were all exhausted and hardly realised it was dark outside when they were shooed next door. Their stomachs were rumbling and muscles aching. Betty had come to tell them food was ready, and everyone had piled into number 15 for a well-needed break.

Next door Jayne had made a large pot of soup and bread for the children as they stumbled into the dining room to collect their helpings. They sat back down in the living room as the table was taken up by all the adults who had spent the day alternating between watches and helping the children move furniture and make beds for the night.

"You kids helped us loads today." Jayne said enthusiastically, hugging Zoe who smiled weakly before sitting down on the floor next to Billy and Layla "When all this is over and were safe down at the coast, we will have to find a way to treat you all."

Jayne had spent the day making and passing out food to the men on watch and helping Christina look after the baby. Between all of them, the houses were stocked and beds were made. The fires were lit, heating up both the houses

Alex was passing out the bowls to Layla and Billy as the door to the living room opened again. Adrian walked in followed by Tobias with little Rae on his hip.

"Everyone this is Tobias, and his sister Rae." Adrian introduced, gesturing towards the pair.

A mumble of hellos chorused around the room through mouthfuls of food.

"Come take a seat, I'll get you some food. I saw you up on watch earlier you must be hungry." Said Jayne disappearing into the dining room momentarily before coming back out with a bowl of soup for Tobias and a warm bottle of milk for the baby.

"Thank you." Tobias smiled taking the bowl and sitting in the gap between Alex and Billy on the floor, his sister between his outstretched legs, milk bottle in her mouth.

The 'children' sat eating quietly. For the first time since this crazy day began, the events played out in all their minds- truly sinking in. The only sound in the room was the slurp of the soup and the soft blubber of Rae's voice between the sucks on her bottle. This time yesterday the children were sat chatting, not a care in the world, phones in their pockets. Now they were haunted by the horrors dawn brought, guns in their pockets - ready and loaded.

Nobody really knew what was going on, but one thing was for certain. Their youth now belonged to the apocalypse.


	5. Focused

Chapter 5- Focused

After wolfing down their food, the children lazed warming by the fire. Layla was huddled on the couch with Zoe who was reading a book, while the others sat on the floor introducing themselves to Tobias.

"So, I'm Alex, this is Billy, and that's Layla and the other one is Zoe." said Alex s, pointing at each of them as she spoke.

"Well I'm Tobias but you can call me Toby if you want." he said in a hushed voice trying not to wake the sleeping baby on his lap "And this is my sister Rae."

"You look after her a lot," Layla interrupted "don't you get sick of her crying and stuff?"

"Layla..." Alex groaned, rolling her eyes at her bluntness.

"No no it's okay." Tobias carried on "Not really. She's my sister so it's sort of my job."

Alex looked down at her hands overcome with sadness as his words reminded her of her own siblings.

"I hope my family is okay." she wondered out loud.

They had been kept busy with odd chores all day that they hadn't had time to worry about the world. About the infected. About their families.

"Me too." Zoe agreed.

"I'm sure they're okay." Tobias reassured "They'll keep each other safe I'm sure."

"Yeah." Billy agreed "But I hope I get to use my gun before the army gets back."

They all chuckled weakly although the joy didn't quite reach any of their eyes. All of them had seen things that day that no child their age should be exposed to. The room fell to silence again and all the children's minds stared wondering.

Peter and Daniel came into the room, followed closely by the rest of the adults.

"Right guys off to bed now I think." Peter noted looking at their exhausted faces.

"Yup." Daniel agreed placing a kiss on his daughters' head "We'll be rotating watch all night so don't be scared if you hear us moving around in the night- Adrian and Jayne will be changing with us just before midnight again."

"I can help." Alex offered trying her hardest not to be viewed as just another child within the group "I've got my gun."

"Yeah me too." Tobias added handing his sleeping sister to his mother, who carried her upstairs "I'll help with the watches too."

"It's okay guys, you have all helped enough today. And besides, you both look exhausted. You need your rest kids." Peter agreed, observing the children's dark circles and absent looks about their eyes.

"Tell you what, tomorrow morning, if the military aren't back, you guys can take a shift...all of you." Daniel offered the children, who were all willing to help "I'll teach you how to use your guns okay?"

"Okay." Alex yawned, standing to hug her father. "Night Dad."

"G'night, I'm heading out with Peter, so we'll send Vince and Frank back." he replied "Off to bed now. It'll be an early start."

Zoe, Layla and Alex bid their goodbyes to everyone in Number 15 and made their way back next door with Claire, leaving the other families to settle in to their own house for the night.

Once they were inside Claire sent them straight to Alex's room where all three of them would be staying.

"I want you girls to get to bed." she fussed following the girls closely up the stairs. "You can stay up for a while, but I'll be up to check on you in an hour. After that it's bed."

The small clock on Alex's wall read '9:57pm'. Without argument the girls set about getting ready for bed. The electricity and boiler switched off at early that evening, leaving the houses with no warm water or light. Luckily, all the homes had gas cookers which provided them with some means of cooking. All the girl's clothes were packed away in the cars ready for when the army returned so they made do with a few oversized shirts to sleep in. It didn't take long for the girls to collapse onto their beds ready to turn in for the night.

Alex rolled over, switched on her torch and crossed out another day in her small diary. She didn't use it for anything other than keeping track of homework and people's birthdays.

"What are you doing?" Layla yawned quietly as Zoe's heavy breaths filled the room; letting them know she was sound asleep.

"Keeping track of the day" Alex answered absentmindedly, switching off her torch and lying down in bed. Her house was eerily quiet. It was usually filled with the faint snores of her brothers or the hum of her parents tv. Outside you could usually hear odd the odd motorbike that zipped up the road among the distant buzz of traffic. Now was nothing but the quiet breaths of her best friends. The eerie silence let Alex's mind slip back to the horrifyingly vivid memories of that morning. The scream. The snarling. The blood. Alex turned over and squeezed her eyes tight shut. Her hand reached under the pillow and closed around the cold metal of her gun. Oddly, it brought her a sense of disturbing comfort, and with that, she slipped off into a troubled sleep.

Zoe's dreams were haunted by the same scream. She sat awake for a few hours, watching the small clock on the wall tick by as the white moonlight peaked through the curtains. In the distance she could make out the muffled chatter of voices

"1am" she thought "they must be changing shif".

Before she knew it, Zoe heard the front door click and the shuffling of feet on the stairs. The bedroom door creaked open and Vincent was stood in the door way. He could just make out his daughter's silhouette sat in the darkness.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" he whispered moving into the room and sitting on the end of his daughters' bed. He could see the troubled look that washed her face even if it was near enough pitch black in the room.

"Couldn't sleep." she mumbled scooting close to her dad and hugging into his side.

"You thinking too much again?" He inquired, keeping his voice low, not wanting to wake the other two.

Zoe nodded as the scream played on loop in her mind.

"Dad I'm scared." she said in a barely audible whisper.

Vincent sighed rubbing his daughters back. "Me too" he thought. But he had to stay strong for his daughter.

"I know honey, but we're going to be just fine." Vincent reassured Zoe "The military will be back before you know it and we can get back to normal with your mum as sister."

"What if they don't?" She asked, voice raising slightly "What if they don't come back and we're stuck here by ourselves?"

"It won't come to that." Vincent stated bluntly. "They said it could take up to 3 days. Even then, I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know...but the things we saw yesterday. The man who died. It's all I've been thinking about..."

"I know it was scary. You shouldn't have had to see that. Those monsters are insane." He reminded "But me and the others were on watch all day. We couldn't see or even hear any of those things."

"Do you think they'll come for us?" Zoe queried "The dead, I mean."

"As long as we stay quiet like the Sargent said...we should be fine."

"Yeah." Zoe agreed "I suppose."

They sat in silence a little longer until Vincent got up.

"Okay, back to bed now." he said to his daughter kissing her head "Try and get some sleep. I'm right downstairs with the others. You're safe."

With that Zoe huddled back under the blankets as the door clicked shut. All the girls asleep at last.

Alex awoke the next morning before everyone else - tossing and turning -unable to go back to sleep. She gave up and hopped out of her makeshift bed and moved silently across the dark landing to the bathroom. Shivering as the cool morning air touched her skin, she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The night before she went to bed covered in grime and sweat from the day before work and her hair was tangled into a bird nest.  
"Flattering" she thought running her hand through her hair trying to tame it. She hadn't showered properly since the night before she stayed at Layla's, and with the world going to shit, her appearance didn't really seem to be a big priority. Knowing there was no hot water, Alex was definitely not looking forward to it.

"Here goes nothing." she mumbled as she stripped off her clothes and stepped under the freezing water.

It was shockingly cold, leaving Alex gasping for air as the tiny droplets abused her bare skin. She was under the water for no longer than two minutes but managed to wash herself clean in record time. As quick as she could, she hopped out and wrapped a towel around herself, still shivering. She stood bouncing on the balls of her feet and rubbing her arms regaining as much heat as she could as she dried off. Before long, Alex made her way into the bedroom which was filled with piles of clothes they had scavenged from the other houses. Seeing that all her clothes were either dirty or packed into the car, Alex would have to make do with something out of the room. It didn't take her long to find a pair of black jeans which she wore with a dark green and navy blue checked shirt. She also found a brand-new grey hoodie which she claimed as her own and pulled over her head.

Quietly she moved back into the room, careful not to wake the others - especially Layla. If she would have been disturbed before 11am for two days in a row, she was not going to hear the last of it. Alex squinted at the clock on the wall. 7:08am. Being early February, it was still dark outside, and the house was freezing. Sitting on the side of her bed, she brushed through her now dry hair before lying back down and closing her eyes. The monsters violated her thoughts once more. The rotting dead skin. The cloudy unseeing eyes. The snapping bloodstained teeth.

Alex shot up and rubbed her eyes. She really had to keep busy. From under the pillow she pulled out the gun and fastened it into her waistband. Once again, she silently made her way out the bedroom but this time downstairs and out the front door. The curtains were still closed next door and the whole street was eerily quiet. She made her way down to fence where her dad and Adrian were stood upon a watch post. The sun had just begun to rise but it was still freezing out. They spotted her and motioned for Alex to stay quiet. Without making a sound she scaled the wooden ladder and stood next to the two men.

"What's going..." Alex started but was cut off by the men shushing her. Daniel motioned over the road and beyond the wall of cars to where one of the infected was wandering around a patch of grass.

"Walker." She breathed, and both men nodded in response.

"We spotted it this morning." Daniel hushed "Luckily before it spotted us."

The monster was aimlessly walking into the sides of buildings, jaws snapping and snarling at the slightest sound.

"Are you going to shoot it?" Alex asked, hand moving to her own gun, drawing it at her side.

"No, it's too far away." Adrian warned with one of the larger rifles trained on the walker. "Anyway, we can't risk the noise. It could attract more."

The three of them stood watching the thing for a while longer.

"Everyone's going to be up soon, it's going to hear us then." Alex offered.

"We know. We can't risk it coming over here we don't know what it will do." Daniel nodded at his daughter, still careful to keep his voice down "But we need to get rid of it."

"We need to draw it closer right? Take it out quietly?" Alex offered "Quick and easy without drawing more."

"Yeah, good." Daniel agreed "We'll use the knives."

"Okay here's what we do." Adrian whispered, "Daniel and I will climb down the fence and then Alex, once we're down you rattle the fence and see if we can draw it over."

Alex nodded. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't slightly terrified.

"We bring it to us." he went on "We keep it controlled and quick. Dan, you're stronger so you take it down to the floor and hold it, I'll finish him off. Alex you will cover us."

"What are we going to do with the body?" Alex asked.

"I suppose we could burn it." Adrian offered shrugging.

Alex swallowed, and Daniel nodded

"Okay...no time like the present, right?"

"Right." Adrian agreed, taking the large gun off his shoulder and placing it on the floor.

"Dad, wait." Interrupted Alex "What if something goes wrong? I...I can't shoot. You haven't taught me yet."

"Nothing will go wrong," Daniel promised "we've got this under control."

"You don't know that." Alex pleaded.

Daniel sighed and took the gun, checking to see if it was loaded

"Ok so it fully loaded, and this is the safety." he stated switching off a hitch on the gun.

She took in everything her dad was saying, not wanting to miss anything in case she had to use it.

"Line it up with the target, hold it steady and squeeze the trigger" Daniel instructed passing the gun back to his daughter. "When you aim, don't lock your elbows. If you do, the rebound will hurt. And this clip is to reload. Got it?"

"Got it." said Alex holding the gun in two hands "Go on, I'll cover you."

"Stay focused, okay?" Daniel nodded at his daughter.

"I know dad. I can handle this."

Daniel and Adrian climbed down the fence and drew their weapons. Adrian raised his arm, giving Alex the signal. She began rattling the top of the fence and bagging the metal to get the attention of the walker.

"C'mon..." she urged under her breath. Just then the monster raised its head in the same direction the noise was coming from. It spotted them instantly and dragged itself in that direction. As it got closer, Alex could see it's unseeing eyes and decaying flesh up close. Its arms were outstretched grabbing at the air, and its teeth snapping together, waiting to devour the two men. It got closer and closer until the men sprang into action. Daniel grabbed the monster by arms and shoulders and tried to take him down. It was a lot stronger than they expected but they managed to get it to the floor. As they were wrestling to pin it in place, movement from the alley way behind the men caught Alex's attention.

Another Walker.

"Shit." Alex thought raising her gun and training it on the woman walker; It's clothes tattered and blood stained. It obviously heard the rattling and it attracted her. Its head was raised, and jaw was snapping as if it was smelling the air to track down its next meal.

"Dad!" Alex hissed

"Not now Alex!" he retorted trying to pin down the relatively large walker that was still struggling and snapping underneath the men.

"Dad!" She shouted louder, fear building and heart racing as the walker caught sight of the struggling men and limped closer.

"Keep your voice down!" Daniel cautioned, finally holding the walker still.

Adrian drove his knife into the side of its skull with a squelch as the other walker advanced on the oblivious men.


	6. No Place is Safe

It stalked towards the men but Alex was frozen, unable to peel her eyes away from the walker. Its face was sunken in, eyes unfocused. Its mouth twitched and drooled as if craving for the two men no more than a few meters away. The smell of its rotting face made Alex's stomach churn and it was all she could do not to vomit on the spot. Its nails were dark and bloody, but the blood dripping from them wasn't its own. This time Alex was close enough to see its discoloured skin was falling away from muscle and bone. It was close and drawing closer to the men. Arms outstretched and jaw snapping. Its mangled hands were inches from her fathers arm. Somehow, Alex's body found itself as of discovering how to move again. She lifted the gun and aimed it at the walkers head, and squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot ripped through the early morning silence sending a bullet through the temple of the infected. It's brains exploded over the two men as the corpse hit the tarmac with a dull thud. In the distance a flock of birds screeched and took flight. Adrian and Daniel stood staring at the lifeless shell of the monster that lay at their feet. Daniel was still sat astride the first walker with Adrian's knife still buried in its skull. Their heads snapped in the directed the bullet came from- to where Alex was stood on top of the platform, gun still raised and hands shaking. Her ears rang from the offending gun shot as her heavy breaths shook her body, her eyes fixed on the woman she had killed.

“No,” she reminded herself “that thing wasn't a woman.”

The sound of snarling and the drag of feet pulled her out of her current daze as three more walkers appeared at the end of the road.

"Shit!" Daniel exclaimed tackling the walker closest to him as Adrian drove his knife through its eye "Alex get the gate!"

Alex’s feet were moving before her mind caught up and she was down the wooden ladder and at the gate. Tobias was already there and with fumbling with lock. He, like the others, had fled to the sound of the gunshot. They heaved open the heavy gate and the men slipped inside. Quickly they chained the gate back closed leaving the two walkers pounding and snarling on the other side of the wire gate.

"What the hell happened!?" Yelled Peter taking in the scene.

"There was a walker over on the dump." Daniel calmly explained, wiping his bloody hands on the hem of his shirt "We couldn't leave it so we drew it in and took it out. The noise must have drew another one out. We didn't see it and it nearly got us."

Peters eyes widened, eyeing the men's blood stained clothes and took a weary step back.

"Have you been bit?" He inquired, moving himself in front of Layla and Claire.

"No." Adrian asserted wiping walker brains off his knife "Luckily we had Alex covering us. Blew its brains out."

The group turned to Alex with confusion and some admiration.

"That was you?" asked Peter raising his eyebrows in disbelief at the girl.

Alex just nodded.

"Wicked!" Billy mused. Alex smirked at her friend, but quickly diverted her attention to her hands.

"It wasn't the smartest move." Daniel added, throwing a stern look at his daughter. "The gun shot drew more, we have no idea how many are out there now."

Her head snapped up at his absurdity.

"You're kidding right?" She almost laughed in confusion "You told me to cover you, that's what I did. It nearly got you both... I stopped it."

"Yeah but you could have warned us. We could have took care of it. And quietly"

"I tried. You wouldn't listen." She was suddenly aware of everyone still watching her, most still in their night clothes "I only did what I had to do."

"Whatever happened... It's done now." Daniel sighed "We need to get people on watch. No more going over the gate and no more using guns."

"Yeah." Peter agreed "We need to check all the fences to make sure we keep track of the Walkers. And we need to conserve ammo, keep the noise to a minimum. We hold out until the army come back. We can't risk something like that again. No where is safe anymore. "

The group murmured in agreement. The adults began splitting up watch shifts between themselves as the children wandered back to the house for breakfast. Behind them the walkers slammed against the chain fence rattling it loudly, determined to get to the fresh meat inside.

"Won't that noise draw more anyway?" Zoe asked plodding alongside Alex.

"I dunno." She shrugged absentmindedly "I suppose."

"Come on, let's get you kids some food before we set you up with some chores." Betty said steering the children into number 15 as she caught up with them.

They sat around the table with a bowl of runny porridge that Jayne had scraped together from their rations.

"Do you still think Mr Evans will teach us how too shoot?" Billy brought up through a mouthful of porridge. "I mean like after this morning.."

"I don't see why not," Zoe reasoned "if anything it's more of a reason to teach us. The more of us that know how to shoot, the more people that can be on watch."

"How does your dad know how to shoot anyway?" Tobias asked, finishing his own bowl.

"Him and his friends used to go the shooting range a lot." Alex said idly stirring the porridge. "He got himself a licence and started teaching some of the older kids how to use the air guns and stuff."

She continued poking at the porridge, hardly eating thing. She couldn't bring her mind away from the walker she shot.

"How did you do it?" Layla asked looking Alex right in the eyes. Alex furrowed her brow in confusion.

"How did you know how to use the gun?" She pressed "It was the first time you shot one right? So how did you know you would even hit it?"

Alex glared at Layla but acknowledged what she said. How did she know she would hit it? What if she missed? Would her dad or Adrian be dead? Or even both of them? Alex wasn't horrified that she killed the walker...she wasn't scarred traumatised. If anything she was...relived? She shook the thoughts out of her mind. Alex had shot the air rifle at the shooting range before and was a decent shot even then. But the walker. The smell. The blood. It was all too much.

"I dunno." She replied "I just aimed the gun and pulled the trigger."

"What if you missed and it got Adrian or even your dad?" Layla provoked "It could've killed them like the man back on the street."

"Don't you think I know that?" Alex raised her voice "But I didn't. I didn't miss and I blew that fuckers brains out."

"Okay okay I was only asking, don't take it out on me." Layla retorted under her breath.

The table went silent and Betty raised an eyebrow at Alex's language but didn't scold her. The child had been through a lot. Monsters were stalking the streets they once called home. They were locked up and forced to share their homes with strangers. Her mother and her siblings were on the other side of the country with no way of contacting them. Not twenty minutes ago she had shot a gun and watched as it took down another one of the monsters. These children were stronger than they looked.

"Sorry." Alex mumbled hanging her head and stirring the food again.

"It's okay sweetie." Betty assured clearing up the empty cups and bowls on the table "Once you finish you kids can go next door and sort through all the clothes we moved into the bedroom yesterday. See what will fit who and what we can use for rags."

"I'm not hungry." Alex said pushing the bowl away and standing up with the others. The smell of the rotting flesh still churned her stomach.

"Okay but you have to promise to eat at lunch." Betty said clearing her bowl away as well. Alex nodded in agreement and followed the others out of the house and saw the rest of the adults manning the gates.

As they went Zoe and Billy excitedly talked about how they would go about convincing Daniel to teach them about the guns. Layla just huffed and told them they were being childish.

"Childish?" Zoe laughed "These aren't toys. We're gonna shoot real guns Layla. Reals guns! How cool is that?!"

Layla rolled her eyes.

"Why are we doing more work?" She complained again "We did loads yesterday and we're not just slaves. I don't..."

"Do you ever stop moaning?" Tobias snapped out of sheer frustration. He earned a glare from Layla but it did shut her up.

"I don't care if you're older than me, it doesn't give you the right to be rude." Layla huffed. Tobias just scowled at the back of her head as she entered the masters room with Billy.

"Is she always that rude to people?" Tobias asked obviously irritated and still scowling as he trailed behind Zoe.

"Yeah," Zoe chuckled "but you get used to it."

“You shouldn’t have to be used to it, she should be nicer to people.”

Alex was in a world of her own, staring off into space, not realising she'd been left standing out on the hallway on her own.

"Hey, you okay?" Tobias questioned poking his head around the door and snapping her out of her daze.

"Huh? Yeah... Just tired."

Being awake half the night, up early the next morning and the little sleep she got plagued with nightmares was alone enough to make anyone sleepy but topped with the events from this morning.. Alex was exhausted.

"If you wanna sleep for a bit we can manage you know." Tobias offered "We're only sorting clothes- you won't miss much.

"Yeah," agreed Zoe, appearing next to Tobias "and I can get you some things if I see anything you like."

"Okay. Thanks guys." Alex yawned and smiled sleepily as she turned into her own room.

Alex collapsed onto her bed, not even bothering to remove her shoes. Taking her weapons from her holders, she placed them next to her bed, rolled over and shut her eyes.

Within minutes she was asleep, mind no longer plagued by the fear of the undead. Deep down she knew she could fight if she needed to. Alex stood half a chance in this world if she ended up alone.


	7. Innocence

No nightmares. No dreams. Nothing but endless darkness consumed Alex as she slept. The room was lit brightly with the afternoon sun shining through the window, but the cold reality of the world seeped back into her mind as she started to stir. The soft blankets beneath her didn't take away from the pain of the hard buttons on her clothes digging into her skin. Alex kept her eyes shut, hanging onto to the faintest hope that it was all in her mind. Deep down she knew that the world she was waking up to was one infested with walkers as reality pieced itself back together.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Alex shuffled through to the next room. Billy, Tobias and Zoe were sat amongst various boxes and piles of clothes, folding them as they chatted.

"Hey, do you need any help?" Alex asked slipping in the room and sitting next to Zoe.

"We're pretty much done. There wasn't much worth keeping." Zoe explained pointing to one of the smaller piles "Theres a few bottoms and t-shirts and stuff that will fit you so I put them aside."

Alex held up an ugly mustard coloured vest from the pile and held it against her body.

"What do you think?" she mused wiggling her eyebrows sarcastically at the others. The boys chuckled and Zoe held her hands up in defence.

"Hey! This is no time for fashion statements."

Alex scrunched up the shirt a hurled it to the other side of the room with a scoff.

"I don't care. There's no way in hell that I'm wearing that."

"Well I thought it brought out your eyes." Billy mocked smirking, earning a snigger from Tobias.

Alex grabbed at another shirt and threw it at Billy, hitting him square in the face. He cackled and launched it back her way but misjudged completely, smacking Toby in the side of the head. The children erupted with laughter, sending various items of clothing flying across the room in the attempt to hit the others. They didn't know why they found themselves laughing so hard, but all of the sudden, they couldn't stop. Breath came in quick gasps between unstoppable fits of giggles. Tears gathered in the corners of their eyes, threatening to spill over. The horrors of that morning fizzled out of their minds and the room filled with the sweet sound of innocent laughter.

"Stop! Stop!" Zoe wheezed, catching a rather forcefully thrown shirt from Alex. "We spent ages sorting these out! Don't ruin it now."

"It's Alex's fault!" Accused Tobias putting down the balled up socks he was about to launch at Billy. "She started it!"

"I didn't even hit you!" Alex bickered between giggles "You can't blame me!"

Just then the door swung open revealing a very angry looking Layla glaring at them all.

"Do you have to be so loud? Jesus Christ, how old are you?!"

"Just having a bit fun, Lay." Billy spoke still breathless from his previous laughing fit.

"Well just keep it down will you. It's annoying."

"Why?" Tobias retorted "We're not bothering you."

"Yes, you are." Layla snapped, still glaring at them all "I'm trying to read my magazine..!"

"Wow! Layla... I didn't know you could read?!" Zoe exasperated sarcastically sending everyone into another fit of laughter.

Layla opened her mouth to argue but Alex spoke up, recovering from her giggles.

"Lighten up..." She started

"Lighted up!?" Layla hissed cutting Alex off mid sentence "I don't think you realise but while you were catching up on your beauty sleep my phone ran out of battery AND the waters stopped working so I can't even have a shower!"

"I don't think your phones battery or you not being able to shower are our biggest concerns right now." Tobias retorted coldly, with a glare to match Layla's.

"FUCK YOU! What do you.." Layla roared heatedly.

"OKAY OKAY ENOUGH!" Alex shouted standing in front of Layla to diffused the situation.

"We're sorry okay?" She carried on "We'll keep the noise down so you can get back to your reading and we'll try not to disturb you again okay?"

Layla huffed in response and stormed out the room slamming the door behind her. The others stayed in silence for a few seconds until laughter consumed them again. They sat snickering for a few moments until Alex broke it up.

"Why wasn't she helping you guys anyway?"

"Because she's selfish and inconsiderate." Tobias mumbled folding up the clothes that were lying around him.

"Okay I get it, she rubs you up the wrong way so you don't like her," Alex sighed "but she's our friend and she doesn't mean it."

"Yeah, but I don't get it. You two are nothing but kind to her and all she does is complain about everything and throw it all back in your faces. She won't help with any chores and when she does she moans about it the whole time."

"She's not like that all the time." Zoe defended "She's just a bit unsettled at the minute."

"Yeah aren't we all."

"So...why didn't she help?" Alex asked again, this time to Zoe.

"Because apparently it 'wasn't fair' that she had to 'slave away' while you slept." Zoe replied and Tobias scoffed.

"Pathetic." he murmured "Why is she like that?"

"Well let's just say only-child-syndrome and bitch-itis isn't a well balanced combination." Alex joked.

They all smiled at the remark, continuing to fold the clothes that they had jumbled up. They worked quickly and soon had the room in a state of organisation. Before they headed out to give out the sorted clothes, they bagged up the rest to be used as rags. Soon the room was cleared of boxes and bags, returning it to its former state. Two single beds with matching striped covers - Sam and Freddie's old room. Tobias yawed as he and Billy finished making one of the beds.

"You don't need you're beauty sleep too do ya?" Billy joked earning a warning, yet mocking, glare from Alex.

"Nah." he smiled sitting on the bed and running his hands through his hair "Rae was up nearly every hour crying. She usually sleeps through the night but it just must be with everything going on. Mum was on watch so I had to look after her."

"I've got an idea. Why don't we have a sleepover." Alex suggested "It will give you a break from your sister and we can all get to know each other some more."

"Yeah that'll be fun." Zoe agreed

"But won't the army be back by then?" Billy offered looking at his friends "We could be down at the coast by tonight."

"You don't believe that do you?" Tobias asked, almost pained.

"Why not, they said they'll be back and..."

"There not coming back." Tobias snapped. "Never trust people in power. They're not coming back. We're stuck here and it's probably better that way."

The truth that no one wanted to acknowledge hit the children hard. Alex thought of her family. All of them gone. Her stomach knotted and heart dropped as the words sunk in. They sat in silence not wanting to speak.

"He's right." Alex swallowed, fighting back her pained expression "It's harsh but he's right. We're here now and we can take care of ourselves."

"But, my mum...” Zoe started, eyes brimming with tears

"I know." Alex said hugging her friend. "But they're safe...they have to be."

Alex trailed off and bit back her own tears as Zoe sniffled into her chest.

'I don't cry. I don't cry...'. Alex repeated in her head. A little motto she had stood by for a while now. Billy stood off to the side with his head hung as Tobias twiddled his thumbs.

"I'm up for a sleepover.” Billy murdered, breaking the mournful silence "We'd have to ask our parents though."

"I can't, I have to look after my sister." Said Tobias as he shook his head.

"I'm sure your mum can manage on her own for one night." Zoe argued leaning against the wall opposite them.

"C'mon mate it'll be fun." Billy nudging Tobias in his side.

"Yeah Toby. One night. They'll be fine" Alex added throwing a sock that was left on the floor at him, which he caught.

"Alright." he sighed in defeat earning a round of smiles from his friends.

Tobias couldn't help but to smile to himself. He only ever had a few real friends in his life time. At school he was always the 'new kid'. He never stayed at a school longer than a few months before moving on to the next, so never found the point of making new ones. But suddenly, he felt accepted. Yes he was older than all three of them, but he never felt so accepted in his life. He was never bullied at school but he never found his place in any friendship groups either. However, these three children made him feel welcome. It took the world to end for Tobias Mathews to make real friends. Maybe this was the start of a 'happier' life for this boy.

"Hellllooooo. Earth to Tobias?" Alex droned waving her hand in front of his face, snapping Tobias out of his trance “Are you coming or not?"

"What?" He asked confused, realising that Billy and Zoe were no longer in the room.

"Lunch time." She stated plainly, opening the door "Then we'll ask about the sleepover and hopefully persuade my dad into giving us some shooting lessons."

"Oh okay." Tobias said following her out the room.

They caught up to the others who were chatting with Layla, who was acting like their little argument didn't happen. Tobias sighed as they all made their way next door. When they entered they were greeted with a table full of bread, butter and cheese.

"Hey kids!" Christina greeted with Rae sat on her lap. Her face lit up at the sight of her brother who returned the excited smile and lifted her off their mums lap.

"What have you all been up to?"

"Not much." Tobias answered vaguely "We sorted through the clothes next door and tided the room."

"Great." Christina said standing "Well everyone else has eaten so this is all yours."

She gestured to the table of food "It isn't going to keep long so it's better than it going to waste."

Without hesitating, the kids grabbed at the food hungrily and filled their plates with the food and topped their glasses with water out of the jug.

"Oh and go easy on the water." She "We've got some but it won't last forever. We have to ration it until the military is back"

The kids nodded but shared a glance, beginning to fill themselves with the meal.

"Tobias, do you mind watching your sister for a few minutes?" Christina asked "I need to see when I'm on watch and check some stuff with the others."

He nodded through a mouthful of food to which she mumbled a thanks and left the room.

Alex was first to finish and carried her plate through to the sink before re-joining the others at the table. Tobias was sat next to her trying to one handedly eat his food with his wriggling sister supported in the other. She could tell he was struggling so wiped her hands on her jeans and held them out.

"Pass her here." She offered "I'll hold her while you eat."

"Nah it's okay," he declined through a mouthful of bread "I can manage."

"I know you can, but I can hold her while you eat." Alex said more sternly, annoyed at how stubborn he was being "Anyway I had 3 younger siblings. I think I can handle her."

At that comment Tobias passed over his sister with a muffled 'thanks' and turned back to his food. The others chatted as they ate, polishing off nearly the whole table of food. Alex just watched Rae who was chewing on a piece of bread, babbling unintelligently. She thought of her own siblings. They were gone and she would never see them. Then she thought of the walkers and how scared little Freddie must have been. Her siblings may be gone for good. Even though Alex knew Rae would have Tobias to take care of her, she could tell her mum was naive. Christina- and the rest of the adults for that matter - believed the military were coming back for them. Alex had her doubts. In that moment she vowed to protect this little girl, and her innocence, for as long as she could. In the last few days, Alex had to shed the last of her innocence and become numb to the world. Tobias learnt to do that a long time ago. Billy, Zoe and Layla were tough but still slightly blind to the way things would have to be from now on. They would come round eventually...they would have to.

Christina came back and took Rae off upstairs to be changed and put down for a nap. They all sat chatting about the sleepover they were hoping to have and Tobias cleared the rest of the plates into the kitchen. Alex could hear the kitchen cupboards opening and soon Tobias called her name.

"Alex, come here for a sec will ya!" He called through the door "I need a hand with something."

Confused Alex slipped into the kitchen closing the door behind her.

"What?" She asked standing next to Tobias and looking into the opened cupboards.

"We definitely brought all the food into here when we cleared all the houses?" He asked still studying the cupboard.

"Yeah. Why?"

"We've hardly got anything left." He pointed out, gesturing to the bare shelves "I mean there wasn't much to start with but it went fast."

"Well with 15 people to feed 3 times a day it will."

Tobias looked like he was thinking up some sort of plan.

"The parents still think they're coming back don't they?" He asked sighing.

"Yeah." Alex nodded, exasperated at there utter blindness. They were never coming back. They had to fend for themselves now.

"We hardly have enough food to last us the next few days let alone the next few weeks. If we leave it too them, we will starve to death."

"So...what's your plan?" Alex raised her eyebrow.

"We need to get food somehow, right?" He started in a hushed voice obviously not wanting the others to hear.

"Well there's two supermarkets within a 10 minute walk from here. We go. Get food. Get back. No one has to know we were gone." He explained "We have one problem..."

"The walkers" they finished it unison

"Yeah." Tobias agreed "We can't get past them without the people on watch seeing us and the walkers have been banging at that gate since you set off that gun. "

"We could use the alley way." she offered pointing through the window beyond her bottom garden fence. "We have the fence and the walkers at one end but the other is where they came from, so we don’t know how many will be back there. But if it means getting us food, it's worth a shot."

"I agree." Tobias said "I found a few big backpacks we can use. Fill them with whatever we can grab and get out of there. As long as we're quiet and keep an eye out for each other, we should be fine"

"Okay when we gonna do this?"

"Meet back here in twenty minutes and we'll head out. Okay?"

"Okay.” Alex agreed. Tobias turned to walk out the kitchen "Tobias wait. Why me? Why not ask Billy to go with you, or persuade one of the adults. It would be a lot safer?"

"Because I trust you to take care of yourself." Tobias said opening the door “And I know you’re a decent shot.”

"Well I'm flattered." Alex mocked, dramatically placing her hand in her chest before turning to finish off the dishes. Tobias turned to leave, laughing. Maybe this world didn't have to be so bad after all.


	8. If All Goes to Plan

Alex cleared away the rest of the plates from lunch and headed into the sitting room to the others. She took her gun from her holster and secured it in her waistband behind her shirt.

"Come on we're going down to the gate." Billy said rushing them out the door "We're gonna see if your dad will teach us to shoot."

"Tobias went upstairs." Zoe said, noticing Alex looking around for him. "He said he wanted to get changed."

Alex just nodded in response and followed the others out the house; she needed to find a way to break off from them to get herself ready for the run. Nobody could find out they were planning on leaving. They had to do this alone. Left in the hand of the adults, everybody inside the gates would starve; and that wasn't the way Alex wanted to go.

When they reached the gate, Billy nudged Alex forward.

"Go on. Ask him."

Alex rolled her eyes at Billy's sudden sheepish ways but raised her voice and called to her dad.

"Dad?" Daniel turned from where he was standing and raised an eyebrow in response to his daughter "Can you teach us how to shoot?"

He never replied.

"C'mon dad they've been pestering me all morning."

"From what I've heard, you've been asleep all morning.”

Alex scowled as her friends chuckled and her dad smirked. Daniel beckoned them up and one by one they scaled the ladder. Walkers had piled against the gate making it impossible for them to leave. They snarled and chewed at the wiring of the fence, cloudy eyes fixed on the people within. It was too risky to try and take them out with the guns and the temporary fence wasn't going to hold for much longer. None of them were the perfect shot so they didn't want to waste the ammo.

"Where's Tobias?" Daniel asked.

"He said he was getting changed." Billy answered, eyeing the walkers below him wearily. "But I think he might have got caught up with his sister."

"I don't think he's coming down." Alex buffered, trying to buy time for the run

"Okay we will start anyway. We have one silencer that fits this hand gun," explained Daniel attaching a metal tube onto the end of an all black glock handgun. "When we fire bullets we only use this okay? We can't afford for anymore of them to hear the shots."

The children nodded.

"We'll start off with you getting the feel of your own gun. Each gun is slightly different- the weight, the rebound even the stiffness of the trigger." he informed "I'll take the bullets out of yours while we practise."

The kids got their guns out the holders and passed them to Daniel to be unloaded. Alex took this as the perfect opportunity to get away while the others were distracted.

"Crap..." She groaned "I've left my gun in the kitchen."

Alex theatrically patted down her sides and made a show of the empty holder.

"Hurry up and go and get it." her dad sighed as she scurried back down the ladder and jogged in the direction they came from.

Luckily the house was empty as everyone was busy going about their chores. The last thing the pair needed was to get caught trying to sneak out. Tobias and Alex could get the job done quickly and no one had to know what was going on. The group needed food so the risk of the walkers outweighed the ever-growing threat of starvation that would consume them if they ignored the problem at hand. Nobody else would admit that they had problems other than the walkers growling at the gates.

With a quick glance at the clock Alex realised she'd be meeting Tobias next door in a few moments. She rounded the corner to leave the room and collided with another figure.

Zoe.

"So...What's going on?" Zoe asked, folding her arms and conveniently blocked Alex's way out. She tried to move past her without a reply but Zoe stepped to the side and blocked the door again.

Alex sighed with a mixture of frustration and exasperation while Zoe's stance never wavered. Zoe was far from the confrontational type so her sudden change in attitude came from a place of worry. At this point, Alex realised it pointless to lie to her and the only way to get around Zoe was to spill the truth.

"We're going on a run," she explained "Tobias and I. This place is running out of food and there's no way we're going to survive without it."

"Wait slow down... You're going where?" Zoe questioned baffled.

"Tonto's." Alex clarified. Tontos was a small convenience store on a row of shops about a 10 minute walk from the square. The shops weren't that big but Alex hoped they'd be able to find enough food to keep the group alive a little longer.

"You're insane. You saw what those things could do and you're just going to leave without telling anyone." Zoe lectured, waving her hands around furiously.

"We know. But if we don't, we're going to starve to death in here." Alex explained calmly. "We don't have enough food to get us through the next few days let alone the next few weeks."

"Can't we just ration it? We will just have to be more careful with the amount we use."

"You know that's not an option Zoe." Alex cut her off "No matter how careful we are with the food, it will run out eventually."

Zoe sighed and lowered her voice in a last attempt to stop her friend from leaving. Deep down she knew they needed the food and there was no way of talking Alex out of it.

"Can't you just ask one of the parents?" She offered "It's not safe out there and it would be easier if one of them were with you."

"You know that's not an option. They'd never let us leave."

Alex herself wished that one of the adults would accompany them and make sure everything ran smoothly. But the parents were delusional and would never leave the safety of the walls.

"You could die out there if you leave." Zoe whispered weakly.

"But if we don't, we will die in here." Alex responded "Look we know it's going to be dangerous so we're just going to try and get as much food as possible. If it's too risky I promise we will turn back."

"Let me come with you then. Three people will be better than two."

"No offence Zoe but you'll only slow us down. And if anything were to happen out there I'd never forgive myself for letting you come."

Zoe sighed in defeat but still tried to persuade Alex otherwise.

"Your dad is going to be livid when he finds out. 'Cause he will. He will find out you know."

"You're gonna have to make sure he doesn't." Alex half pleaded. If Daniel found out their plan he would surely go after them, endangering them all.

"What do you want me to say? He sent me here to hurry you up so I cant go back without you."

"Tell him I don't want to do it." Alex said making up a story on the spot. "Tell him I feel I've had enough practise for one day and besides, it's not like I was half bad at it."

"Okay but what if someone comes looking for you both. You won't be in the houses and they'll panic."

Alex stood thinking for a moment. They needed a coverup story that was believable and easy to go along with.

"If they ask, me and Tobias are going through the gardens." Alex began "Say we're looking for tools and stuff from the sheds."

Zoe nodded clearly impressed with how quickly her friend made up such a believable coverup.

"Is there anything I can do?" Zoe asked, scared for them.

"Just don't tell anyone what's happening and look in on Rae for Tobias." Said Alex walking past Zoe and down the stairs "We shouldn't be too long. We'll be in and out before you know it."

Zoe nodded again but called out to her friend as she opened the door to leave.

"Alex wait!" Zoe ran down the stairs and tackled Alex with a hug "Please...be careful."

"We will." Alex said pulling away "Like I said, if it's too risky we will just turn around and come back."

"What if ...What if you don't come back?"

Alex obviously had this thought going through her head. It was possible that if it all went wrong they wouldn't make it back. She could return alone or Tobias could return without her. Or both of them could disappear forever. She didn't know what would be worse. One returning without the other and having to explain everything to the others, or both of them being lost to the walkers and leaving both of their families questioning what happened to their children.

"If all goes to plan, we should be back within the hour." she responded, avoiding the question.

"Alex...What happens if you don't come back?"

After a long science Alex gulped.

"Don't come looking for us."


	9. Our Choice

For Alex to hesitate the decision, even for a moment, was enough to highlight the extent of the risk ahead of them. The group needed food. But the walkers were piling up by the hour and the hope of rescue returning was slowly dying.

Everything they had planned was to ensure their survival. The simple fact of the matter was that it was now the dead against the living. Survival was the only thing that set them apart from the infected. If Tobias and Alex could bring back even a little food, it would ensure the groups survival for a little longer.

Next door, the house was empty and the only sign of life was the faint movement coming from the kitchen. Alex followed the noise and found Tobias pacing the room. His head snapped towards the creak of the door but relaxed at the sight of the anticipated face.

"What took you so long?" he asked impatiently, drumming his fingers on the work surface.

"Zoe." she replied bluntly, shrugging on the large backpack he had laid out for her. "She knows what we’re going to do.”

"What?! You told her?" He groaned, running his hand through his hair. "If she messes this up for us and we can’t bring back some more supplies, I don’t know how long we’re going to last in here."

"Calm down, she figured it out for herself. She tried to convince us to stay, but I think she understands." Alex reassured "She knows not to tell anybody either. If anyone was to follow us, we’d al be at risk."

Tobias did nothing but let out a long, aggravated breath.

"Look, don't blame me." Alex began sternly. "If it makes you feel any better she's covering for us. Making up a story the adults will believe so we don't get busted. And she's promised to check in on Rae for you."

"Okay. Fine. I'm sorry. It’s just that this is risky enough without having to worry about someone screwing things up for us back here."

"I trust Zoe. She won't say anything." Alex nodded "Now stop fussing and let's get going."

They moved towards the door and into the garden ready to start the supply run. Neither of them knew exactly what they were doing, but there was no turning back now. Using an old, up turned bucket, Alex scaled the back fence and dropped herself into the alleyway behind. She could hear her heartbeat thumping in her ears as she scanned the area for the un-dead. All clear. She tapped three times on the fence panel behind her and a muffled scramble was followed by Tobias landing with a faint thud next to her.

"Which way now?" Tobias barely whispered tightening the straps on his backpack.

"Well that way is the fence." she responded pointing to the left "If we go that way, we'll be spotted. Either by the dead or whoever is on guard."

From where they were stood, the animalistic moans of the walkers and the foul stench of their skin was more prominent than ever. There was at least 15 of them no more that 50 feet away, just out of sight. One wrong move would bring the whole lot down on them. One sound would mean death. They were completely exposed now they were on the outside of the fence.

"So this way it is." He breathed, gesturing to the right.

Alex nodded and moved silently alongside Tobias. As they approached a corner, Tobias' arm flew out to stop Alex and pushed her backwards. The pair were pressed against the garage wall behind them, Tobias with his finger to his lips and his other arm hovering in front of Alex’s stomach.

Peering around the corner, Tobias could see a lone walker on its knees, hunched over something. The tear of flesh from bone and the putrid stink of guts indicated the walker was preoccupied with a fresh meal.

"It's distracted." Tobias mouthed "We can take it down. There's only one."

He removed his knife from his belt and slowly approached the walker with Alex following suit. She stayed slightly behind holding her breath as Tobias advanced on the beast. It's head turned at his approaching footsteps, it's nose picking up the scent of the live flesh.

Before it could get to its feet Tobias lunged, burying his knife through its eye socket and into its brain. The snarls stopped instantly and its body went slack, but Tobias' eyes were glued to the monsters last feast. Alex approach wanting to see what he was looking at.

"Alex...No...don't look." Tobias warned turning and shielding the sight from Alex with his body.

Too late.

A little girl, no older than 8 or 9 years old. Her stomach was torn open and her guts were spilling onto the pavement around her corpse. Her fresh blood stained her dress red and spilled from the corners of her mouth. Alex froze at the sight, her stomach churning. Tobias let out a long shaky breath.

"C'mon lets get out of here." He said pulling Alex gently by the arm.

Alex nodded and allowed Tobias to guide her away.

The roads were eerily quiet apart from the rhythmic pat of the duos feet as they began the treck to the other side of town.

Before long they reached the small side road that turned off to the shops, and slowed to a halt. Outside the shops, there were around six walkers aimlessly wondering up and down the road. Just like before, Tobias raised his finger to his lips and Alex nodded. She couldn’t help but feel slightly patronised. She knew that noise could attract them, but this wasn't the time nor place to start an argument.

The number of walkers in front of them was too many to take on without risking drawing more. But, if they were quiet enough they could slip past them and into the shop.

"How are we going to get around them?" Tobias mouthed, unnerved. Alex had an idea and scanned the floor around her. A stone lay in the gutter a few feet away. She picked it up and turned it in her hand. Tobias looked confused.

Hoping her plan would work, Alex threw the stone as hard as she could at the window of an abandoned car. The dull thud of the rock against the metal meant she missed her target. However, the noise did attract the attention of a few walkers, which stumbled over to the car. But it wasn't enough. She found another rock and this time sent it hurtling through the windscreen, shattering the glass. Just as Alex suspected, the sound of the car alarm rung through the air and the small herd limped towards the sound.

Tobias looked impressed and Alex smirked to herself as the path to the shop cleared up. Hopefully, thee alarm would not be loud enough to attract many more walkers kept the heard occupied for a while.

They took their chance and made a beeline to the shop. The shutters were up and the large widow was broken. They were obviously not the first visitors to Tontos. Alex went in first with Tobias covering outside. She made a quick sweep of the shop and beckoned Tobias to follow her in when she knew the coast was clear.

Inside, shelves were upturned and packets were ripped open. The shop had been cleared with only the odd dented can lying on the floor. The pair wasn't sure what they expected but it definitely wasn't this wasteland.

"Fuck!" Tobias raged kicking shelf and running his hand through his hair. "What on earth are we going to do now."

"Keep your voice down!" Alex retaliated sharply.

Tobias fell silent. The only noise was the distant wail of the car alarm and the faint snarls of walkers. With a defeated sigh Alex bent down and picked up one of the cans and put it into her backpack.

"It was our choice to come out here so we cant go back empty handed." she reasoned, feeling under a shelf for any supplies. "There has to be something right? There's always something."

She went off around the shop picking up a few cans that weren't too damaged and any other odd items she could find. With a huff, Tobias followed suit, picking up and clattering a row of shelves to retrieve a chocolate bar that had fallen out of sight.

Alex popped her head out from one of the shelves at the back of the small shop

"Shush you don't want them things hearing us."

"They won't hear us over that alarm." he reasoned, reaching his hand to the back of the shelf and pulling out a packet of crisps with a smirk. Alex rolled her eyes and carried on scavenging.

After only 10 minutes, they had cleared what was left in the shop and were loading their bags in the eerie silence. What they had found didn't even half fill one of the backpacks. There was no where near enough the amount of food they hoped to bring back and were both severely disappointed. Tobias shrugged on the backpack with the food in as they readied themselves to leave.

"Wait..." Tobias stopped in his tracks as he was about to duck out of the broken window "Do you hear that?"

Alex listened but heard nothing. She wrinkled her brow confusion.

"No...?"

Suddenly their eyes met and their faces fell.

No more car alarm.

"Shit! Get back!" Tobias hissed stumbling backwards into the shop as the herd of walkers advanced on them. The old cars battery must of died, allowing the walkers to hear the two children in the shop. And now they were ready for their next meal. They flooded the shop as both Alex and Tobias took down the nearest walkers to them.

"There's too many of them! We need to get out now!" Tobias shouted, panic flooding his voice.

"There's a door at the back but it's locked." Alex replied, taking down another walker.

"Cover me. I'll try and get it open."

Alex nodded and they both made a beeline to the back of the shop, walkers hot on their tails. Tobias slammed his whole body weight at the door repeatedly but it had little effect. Alex took down another two walkers but they were advancing quick.

"Anytime today Toby!" She breathed, lunging at another walker with her knife.

At that he stood back and with all his strength began kicking at the door with the base of his boot. On the third kick, the door flew open.

Just as a walker tackled Alex to the floor.

It took all her strength to hold the rotting body the snapping jaws away from her face. Instinctively, Tobias drove his knife into the back of its skull and pulled Alex to her feet, the both of them breathing rapidly and buzzing with adrenaline.

"Looks like I just saved your life." he panted.

Another walker lunged, but this time at Tobias, grabbing his arm. Fortunately, Alex was quicker, shoving her knife through its eye.

"Looks like we're even." Alex smirked.

She grabbed his upper arm and dragged him into the small room, slamming the door behind them. Walkers slammed relentlessly into the other side of the door as Alex dragged a heavy shelf in front of it to hold it closed.

Alex's eyes swept the room in slight relief as she took off her backpack and left Tobias holding the door alone. Tobias glanced around in confusion but soon smiled and tossed Alex his bag as he continued to hold the door. The locked door lead into the shops store cupboard that was stacked with seemingly endless boxes food. Alex hurriedly filled both bags to breaking point with cans and packets of all variety.

"Brilliant." Tobias beamed, straining to hold the door "But please hurry and find us a way out of here."

Frantically, Alex scanned the room for an escape route. A small window that they could reach if they scaled one of the shelves. Alex pointed to it and Tobias nodded. With that she climbed the rickety shelves and pushed the window.

Locked

"Crap." Alex hissed

"Just break it, it's old." Tobias groaned from behind her. The walkers had piled against the door prying it open slightly, theirs hands grasping through the gaps of the door and the other stack of shelves that kept it from bursting open.

Alex took the base of her knife and slammed it with all her might against the old pain of glass. Sure enough the glass cracked but didn’t quite break, so Alex lay flat against the shelf and kicked at the window until it shattered. Her foot went straight through the broken glass, slashing open the back of her right calf. It wasn't too deep but the blood and pain caused her to panic.

"You're alright!" Tobias called "I'll get you back. I promise. We’ll both get back."

Alex bit back the pain and looked out the window. All clear. She tossed out both of the now very heavy bags and looked back to Tobias.

"Okay, you go first and call me when you're out of the way. The second I let go of this door, these monsters are gonna get in here so I don't wanna land on you okay?"

"Okay. When I shout, you get yourself out of there."

With that Alex jumped out of the window and landed on the tarmac the other side, a stabbing pain ripping through her leg.

"Clear!" She shouted, yanking herself and the bags out the way.

The slam of the door and clatter meant Tobias was on his was up and out. Alex held her breath. Within seconds, Tobias had landed next to her, picking up and shrugging on his own bag. He pointed to her leg which was slowly oozing with thick hot blood.

"Does it hurt much."

"Yeah," she wasn't going to lie "but I can still run."

"Let's go then."

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Alex sped off at a full speed sprint with Tobias by her side. Their lungs felt like they were filled with knives as their short ragged breaths came in gasps. Their muscles screamed at them to stop but they didn't slow their pace until they reached the alley way to the square. Tobias hurled both bags over the fence into the garden of number 14 and squatted into a position for Alex to climb on his hands and over the fence. She then leant over and caught Tobias' arm as he jumped up, helping him up and over the fence.

The pair collapsed side by side onto the grass, their chests rapidly rising and falling. after a few moments, when their breathing slowed to a more regular pace Alex sat up on her elbows.

"We did it." she smiled, relieved

"We sure did." Tobias wheezed, returning a goofy grin from where he was lay flat on his back. "Thanks for saving me back there...when it grabbed me I mean."

"It was no problem" Alex said laying back down herself. "Thanks for saving me too... and for getting me back alive"

Tobias chuckled earning a bark of breathy laughter from Alex.

“I did promise you, didn’t I?”


	10. Family

Tobias was the first to his feet extending his hand to Alex. She took it and pulled herself up, wincing at the pain the pressure of standing brought to her slashed leg. Blood soaked through the tattered fabric of her jeans as she prodded her wound to inspect it. The initial adrenaline had worn off leaving her to feel the pain.

"Damn that looks painful." Tobias grimaced at the sight of the fresh blood "You good?"

"It hurts, but I'm okay."

"C'mon then." he said walking towards the back door "Let's get someone to look at it."

"Wait wait wait. You can't just walk in there with two massive backpacks full of food, our clothes covered in walker brains and a massive gash on my leg. You know, they might just suspect we were doing something other than finding out tools in the gardens."

Alex's voice was dripping with sarcasm which Tobias rolled his eyes at but he took a step away from the door.

"I suppose.” he sighed and thought intently for a second.

"Okay, so first off the food. We found it three doors down with loads of camping stuff explaining these as well." Tobias stated, lifting the two bags.

"What if they ask to see the rest of this 'camping stuff' and how do you even know there's a shed three doors down?"

"Where do you think I got these bags from in the first place?" Tobias retorted sarcastically. It was Alex's turn to roll her eyes. "I was meant to mention it but with everything going on today, I sort of forgot."

"Alright, but what about our clothes? They're filthy."

"Ah that's the easy bit. Just take off your hoodie. Our trousers are black so the blood won't really be noticed. Just make sure you change them later and bin that pair."

Alex pulled the jumper over her head and tossed it to Tobias, who shrugged off his own blood stained jacket. He stuffed both coats down the side of the shed before turning back to Alex.

"I'll come and fetch them later when everyone is busy."

"Okay, but I suppose we just jumped over all the fences to get to the other houses without anyone seeing us for the last couple of hours?"

"I like your thinking, but not quite..." Tobias had a smug grin on his face as he walked up to one of the fence panels. He gripped it from the bottom and with a heave, he managed to lift it enough for someone to fit through. "We went under."

"Alright smart arse, but one last thing." Alex challenged as he let the panel slide back into place "What about my leg?"

"That's the tricky part." Tobias said wondering around the garden as he thought.

He approached her parents old garden shed and opened the doors. It was filled with mainly gardening equipment and old outdoor toys. Daniel was a roofer so he kept most of his work tools on the tallest self, out of reach of his younger children.

"Would you be able to reach up there?"

"Uhhhh, I don't think so. I'd probably just stand on a bucket or something."

"Okay..." Tobias wandered back out the shed looking around for something else to piece his plan together "Aha! Perfect!"

Tobias had spotted a small outdoor table with metal legs and glass top and dragged it into the shed.

"So you stood on this to see if there was anything worth using on the shelf and..." Tobias drove the butt of the gun into the glass, smashing it completely "You fell through."

"Wow." Alex said, nodding her head, genuinely impressed. "You've really thought of everything."

"Not everything." Tobias glanced back down to Alex's foot "I take it we have no doctors back there to look at that?"

"I could get Peter to look at it for me."

"How convenient" he muttered slightly bewildered "He's not a doctor is he? "

"Not quite." Alex hissed as she peeled the tattered fabric away from the wound again. "A children's nurse."

"What? No...really?!" Tobias asked stunned.

"I know. He doesn't look the type," Alex chuckled "but he's actually quite good at it."

"I'll take your word for it." Tobias shook his head in disbelief. "Anyway I think we should call them out here to us. Make this all look more like an accident. More believable."

"Yeah okay." Alex replied, hobbling over to the shed and lowered herself onto the floor amongst the glass.

"Wait, what are you doing"

"Making it more believable" she answered sitting in the glass shards. "I've just fell though a table, remember?"

"Fair enough." he shrugged "Okay here it goes, DANIEL! PETER!"

Alex smacked his leg and hissed

"Keep it down, the walkers!"

"I think they'll forgive me.” He chuckled “COME QUICK! ALEX IS HURT!"

"Okay game face on." Alex joked before exaggerating the pain she felt by screwing up her face. Tobias smirked but crouched down next to her with a worried expression plastered on his face.

Not seconds later Daniel burst through the back door, followed closely by Peter, Zoe, Billy and Betty; all with different levels of panic on their faces.

"What's happened!?" Daniel exclaimed, kneeling down next to his daughter, gently touching the fabric around the wound. Alex winced and he pulled away worried.

"I stood on the table to see if there was any tools we could use, but it broke when I got on." Alex repeated seamlessly.

"Yeah, the glass broke and her foot went through. She's cut her leg up pretty bad." Tobias explained further.

"Jesus Christ you scared the hell out of me," Daniel sighed hugging his daughter "Let's get you inside so Peter can have a look."

Peter nodded "I'll go grab my first aid kit. Sit her on the table, I'll be right back."

As if she were a baby, her dad scooped her up off the floor and begun to carry her inside.

"Dad! I can walk." Alex protested, wriggling in his arms "It's not that bad."

"When Peter says it's okay then I'll let you walk." Daniel replied just as stubborn as his daughter "For now I'll carry you."

Betty had already cleared everything off the table so Daniel placed Alex down as Peter returned with his first aid kit. Peter put on a pair of surgical gloves and proceeded to cut away the fabric as he spoke

"Okay so tell me what happened again; from the beginning."

"I couldn't reach the top shelf so I stood on the table. The glass broke and my leg went through." Alex recited once more, glancing at Tobias who nodded.

Peter hummed seeming to believe their story as he continued inspecting the wound.

"We're going to have to clean it up before I can get a good look at it, but it's still bleeding so we're gonna have to be quick, you might need stitches."

Alex shuddered and suddenly felt sick.

"You okay?" Tobias asked, obviously noticing the discolouration of her face.

"I hate stitches." she answered, stomach churning.

Tobias chuckled but was quickly shut up by a glare from Alex. He couldn't believe it. After everything that had happened over the last two days; all the blood and gore, the nightmarish horrors that roamed the streets, Alex hadn't faltered once. But the mention of stitches had the colour draining out of her face.

Finally, Peter had cleaned out her wound managed to stop the worse of the bleeding after he pulled out a few small shards of glass.

"The bleeding has stopped but the cut is pretty deep." Peter explained "I'm sorry, I know you don't like them but you're gonna need stitches."

Alex closed her eyes but nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure? I've got no anaesthetic so it's going to be very painful."

"It's not the pain that bothers me." Alex assured "I don't know. I just hate the idea of them."

With that, Peter went ahead and threaded his needle as Alex reached out and grabbed Zoe's hand as he made the first incision. She got through the pain by screwing up her face and squeezing Zoe's hand until it was over.

"Done." Peter assured, cutting the thread with his surgical scissors. "Billy? Would you fetch me a bottle of water?"

Billy nodded and trailed into the kitchen, producing a half empty bottle when he returned.

"Is that enough? Most of the water is next door if you need more." He said, shaking the contents of the battered plastic bottle.

"It's alright. It's so Alex can take these" Peter clarified, holding out two painkiller pills which Alex took gratefully. "I'm going to bandage you up and we’re all done. You can change your bandages yourself every day or so and I'll take the stitches out in about a week. For now go easy on it. You'll need to rest it, too much pressure might start the bleeding again. Now that we're all finished here, lets get next door for dinner. I'm starving."

"Got it." Alex confirmed pushing herself up to get off the table "Thanks doc."

Peter chuckled and shook his head as Alex began to slide off the table.

"And where do you thing you're going?" Daniel interrupted as Alex lowered herself to her feet

"Next door? We are eating right?"

"Did you not listen to Peter? You need to go easy on your leg."

"Dad, I'm okay honestly." Alex laughed "I'm not exactly pushing myself by walking next door. I'm fine."

"Well you're not walking just yet."

"Well you're not carrying me again." Alex argued "I'm not so little anymore dad. You'll hurt yourself."

"How about I give you a piggy back?" Tobias offered awkwardly, trying to solve the problem.

Alex laughed again but shrugged in agreement.

"Okay. If you're offering...Dad?"

"Whatever, as long as you keep off that leg." Daniel surrendered, waving them off as he followed the rest of the adults out of the house.

Tobias squatted slightly in front of Alex and with a small jump she was on his back to be transported next door. As they walked Alex joked with Billy and Zoe about Tobias being her new pack horse. He took it on the chin and laughed along with them. When they reached next door everyone took turns of bustling around Alex, asking how she was which she quickly grew tired of.

The night consisted of Alex re-telling her story and Tobias explaining all the food and camping gear that they had 'found'. Betty prepared the food with the assistance of Jayne and soon all 15 of them were again huddled in the living room eating. Even the people who were on clocked off to enjoy the cozy atmosphere for a few moments. Inside these walls everyone momentarily forgot the horrors that lay on the other side. They could almost forget the guns that they placed down to eat. They could almost forget the loved ones they lost. Almost.

Later that evening, Billy and Tobias sat on the floor leaning against the double chair Zoe and Alex were sat on, Alex with her bad foot propped up on Zoe's lap. Layla had sat on the other side of the room, unamused that people paid more attention to Alex’s foot rather than to her complaints about the shower. Alex and Zoe were annoyed at her hostility but chose to ignore her. She'd come around soon enough. For now, she sat reading the same magazines from earlier. The boys sat playing a stupid card game by the light of the fire- it wasn't late but the time of year meant it was already dark out. They playfully argued and laughed as they justified their own rules. Alex and Zoe watched over their shoulders, joining in with the laughter and arguments. The pain in Alex's leg had subsided greatly due to the strong pain relief Peter had given her but she still felt a dull throb every so often. She was lucky. 'Any deeper and it would have shredded the muscle' Peter had told her. That would have been a disaster. The parents sat chatting about food rations and watch rotations. They still mentioned the military and how they would be back for them soon. The children's hope was thinning a lot faster than the adults. They knew they were here for the long run. This was their lives now.

"Alex? Do you think we could still have that sleepover?" Zoe asked quietly.

"I'll ask." said Alex, turning in her seat "Dad? Could we have a sleepover tonight? Like with Billy and Tobias as well?"

"As long as you keep the noise down, I have no problem with it. The boys can sleep in your brothers’ old room." Daniel said, earning excited smirks off the kids.

"I'll be sleeping in the other room; your sisters old one." Layla stated; she was still mad with them.

"Suit yourself." Tobias replied earning another glare. These two definitely didn't get along which was unfortunate for them all.

"Well I'm staying in my room and as long as you don't wake me up, I'm fine with it." Daniel confirmed, trying to ease the tension "I was just saying to the others, this isn't just my house anymore. We all live here and you don't have to ask me permission to do something in your own home, within reason of course. So as long as we're here together we are a family. No matter how long it takes for the military to come back, we will live here as family."

"Yeah it makes sense." Alex nodded. They were here together. They were family.

After dinner was finished, Tobias and Billy headed upstairs to get their things for the night. Zoe helped Alex next door so they could get changed for bed. They were soon greeted by a knock on the door and the boys entered ready for the night. Billy had a pile of blankets and pillows, while Tobias carried a pile of board games and a packet of playing cards.

Together they spread all the blankets and pillows they could find onto the floor along side the beanbags and the air mattress that was meant for Zoe. Alex hung up torches around the room so they could see one another. They settled into their fortress of comfort and begun chatting about random things, just how children of their age should have been. After about an hour they opened the chess game which Zoe completely conquered with her tactics. Billy gave up after a while and started reading a comic but Alex and Tobias banded together, determined to put an end to her winning streak. Finally, after their fourth attempt as a team, they managed to take Zoe's King, winning the game. Both of them cheered and Zoe laughed.

"Finally." Billy exasperated "Can we play another game now?"

"Yeah, you pick one." Tobias said as Billy looked through the boxes.

"Snakes and ladders?" He offered, holding up the tattered box.

"Why not." shrugged Alex.

Just then the door opened and Layla was stood in the doorway. They braced themselves for another rant about how noisy and childish they were being, but when it didn't come Alex and Zoe both knew that she wanted to join them. Zoe shuffled over and Alex patted the space next to her, gesturing for her to sit. She came over and sat silently, taking a counter from the box as Billy laid out the board. They played the game together for a while. Billy won the first round and Alex the second, but when Billy won the third again, Layla stood and left in a huff, mumbling something about it being 'a stupid game anyway'.

"What was all that about?" Billy asked packing away the game.

"That, was Layla Howard's way of saying 'sorry I was a bitch'." Zoe told them, matter of factly.

"Well at least she didn't shout again." Billy joked.

"True." Tobias snorted.

As Alex began to deal the cards for a game of 'Black Jack' the door opened once more. This time, Peter was stood in the door way with a bottle of water and two more of the pain killer pills. Due to the distraction of the games and company of her friends she hadn't noticed the prickling pain she felt in her leg.

"Thanks." she said, taking the pills with a long swig of water "These things really help."

"So they should." Peter laughed "They're some of the strongest painkillers I have with me. Anyway, where's Layla?"

"She just left." Alex explained "She came in and played a few rounds with us but I think she got annoyed when she didn't win. So she left."

"Sounds like our Layla." Peter chuckled but then sighed "I'm sorry about her. She's not really a people person, but she doesn't mean it. It will just take her a while to get settled."

"We get it." Zoe smiled "She'll come round soon enough. It wouldn't be Layla if she wasn't complaining about something."

"I suppose." he retorted jokingly "Anyway, have a good night kids."

They all returned a "Goodnight" as he left.

A couple of card games and a few rounds of Frustration later and the children were all yawning and ready to call it a night. Alex and Zoe had retreated to Alex's double bed on the other side of the room as Billy was already fast asleep on Zoe's mattress. Tobias lay within a pile of blankets next to Billy also sound asleep. Now the boys were asleep and had no chance of over hearing them, Zoe questioned Alex.

"What actually happened out there?"

"It doesn't matter. We got back okay so it doesn't really matter."

"Alex. Your leg needed stitches and Peter said you were lucky you didn't damage your muscle. Of course it matters."

Alex sighed and began explaining everything from the beginning, but this time the truth. The little girl, the car alarm, the shop, the walkers.

"...We were trapped. I tried to break the window but I snagged my leg on the glass" she finished. "We both got out through the window and ran home without looking back. When we got here, we made up some cover story and yeah... That's it."

"That's it?!" She exclaimed in a frantic whisper "Alex! You nearly died. Promise me you won't go out there again?"

"But we didn't die, did we?" Alex argued with a hint of annoyance in her hushed voice "We're here, and we can all eat because of it."

"Alex promise me?" Zoe pleaded.

Alex sighed "You know I can't."

Zoe rolled over in their shared bed. Even though she was only looking out for Alex, she knew Alex wouldn't make a promise she couldn't keep. That wasn't who Alex was and she knew she'd have to go over the wall again. Zoe was just scarred for her friends. Her family.

Before settling down, Alex reached under her bed and took out her small calendar planner. After crossing out another day, she rolled over and went to sleep. For a few hours it was like being back a week or two ago when the world was normal. For a few hours they were just kids enjoying a sleepover. For a few hours they could forget about the loaded guns that they had placed under their pillows. But that time was over and the reality was faint, distant snarl of walkers and the clattering of the fence that they had piled against.

It was just after midnight when Daniel decided to check on the children before he went to bed himself. He hadn't heard them for nearly an hour and expected to find them reading or gossiping quietly. He expected to have to tell them to go to their own rooms to sleep as they would still be talking. However he was shocked when he opened the door to find the girls sleeping back to back on his daughters bed and the boys sound asleep on the floor. The soft breaths filled the room and as none of them stirred, Daniel knew they had been sleeping for a while. He contemplated waking the boys and getting them to move into the other room. Despite his 'dad senses' screaming at him, he decided to let them stay. The children were friends and in a world like this, they were lucky to have each other. He didn't have to like the fact two boys were sleeping a few meters from his daughter and god-daughter, but he accepted that it was nothing more than an innocent friendship these children shared. Especially now, in a world like this, babying his daughter was definitely the wrong way to deal with her growing up. She would have to grow up quick and learn the rules of this new nightmare they seemed to be living. Daniel wasn't stupid, he knew what it was like now so he turned and closed the door behind him. He hoped his brave little daughter would grow to beat this world, however long it would last. Even after he was gone.


	11. Hide Away

Almost two weeks had passed since the incident over the wall. Everyday was the same routine. Breakfast, watch, chores. Then lunch, then more chores and more watch rotations until it was time for dinner and then they could rest a little. Each day dragged into the next, with Alex marking down every day that went by in her diary. Even though the children had begun helping out with the watches during the day, they were yet to be on the rotation overnight so they spent their evenings playing board games by the fire.

Alex was exempt from most jobs while her leg healed meaning she was house bound for the majority of the time. She took it upon herself to become chief babysitter and was often found occupying Rae with a book or plastic car. Boredom had soon settled in however, making Alex agitated while being cooped up in one of the two houses. She found herself taking on some of the more trivial tasks, like sewing together lengths of cloth for Peter to use as make-shift bandages. Peter himself was happy with the way her leg was healing and removed Alex's stitches after the two weeks were up and lifted her house arrest. She was no longer exempt from being on watch and the short walks to and from the fence felt like the greatest amount of freedom.

One evening, the adults had a long discussion about the ever-growing problem of the walkers piling against the fence. They had multiplied overnight when what Vincent described as a "herd" had found its way to their haven. Small arguments had broke out about how to handle the situation - some thought it was best to leave them, others suggested using the guns. It was Tobias who offered that clearing them was the best solution and they could do this by picking them off through the fence. Adrian had bound a knife to an old snooker cue and the clearing process began the next morning.

They had one silencer for a gun which Daniel allowed the children take turns using to pick off the walkers from their posts. This target practise quickly became a sport for them. Between stabbing them through the fence and picking them off with the gun all of the walkers lay dead within the day. But as the bodies built up so did the stench of festering flesh. The only way to get rid of the bodies, and the smell, was to unlock the gate and dispose of the corpses quickly. Vincent suggested burning them on the dump opposite so a tag team system was set up. Two people would drag a body across the road and into a pile while two others would stand on guard, rotating jobs each time. It was tough and dirty work, but it had to be done.

Daniel doused the bodies in gasoline before striking a match and dropping it into the mound. The flames were small at first, catching onto one of the walkers frayed clothes, but it soon grew and engulfed them all. With the flames roaring high and bright, the heat grew so intense that the group retreated back into the safety of the fences. Hours later the flames finally began to die, leaving nothing but a pile of charred, black ash.

That was the last time they had ventured outside. Apart from Tobias and Alex, of course.

Tobias went back to the shop five more times, picking the supply room completely clean. He was weary of how far he ventured while on his own but made sure to tell Alex every time he was leaving. Each time Alex offered to go with him despite her injury but he protested and left her behind. Fortunately his runs were extremely uneventful. Both Alex and Tobias wanted to check out the large supermarket on the other side of town but decided it wasn't worth the risk while Tobias was on his own. The adults were still adamant that the military would be back. They kept themselves locked away out of blind faith in this organisation. The children were less sceptical. It had been exactly 16 days since that gate was locked behind the last military truck that had left and since then, they hadn't met another living person. In her gut Alex new they were gone; more than likely dead. Deep down she knew her father knew it too.

She could tell every time Daniel looked away when someone brought up the army. The way pain flickered through his eyes as he glanced at the family picture that hung on the living room wall. They knew they were the only two left of the Evans family. Sam, Charley, Freddie, her mother Helen were all lost to whatever horror that stopped the military from returning. Six were down to two. And every day since, the children lost a little more hope.

Zoe had come to the same realisation. Her mother and sister were gone, but Vincent was still adamant that they would be moving to the coast and still talked about the rest of his family as if they were still alive.

Layla, Billy and Tobias were all surrounded by their family so didn't struggle with the same grief.

None the less, they were still supportive of their friends and helped them through the hard times. Some nights, when it got quite and the imagination was let lose to cook up a stomach churning image of the lost families the children would sit awake together until they all nodded off to sleep in the same room. Other times, Zoe's sniffles would keep Alex awake and staring into the darkness, feeling slightly empty inside.

But this was the world now. The pain that loss brought either made you weak, or you wore it like armour against the terrors that the next day could hold. Alex liked to think she chose the latter. Even when she was lay awake in the dead of night, blinking back tears. Remembering her lost siblings. Remembering her mother. Remembering how life used to be before she fell asleep on Layla's couch and woke up in a nightmare.

Two weeks on and here they were. Strangers living as family. But the love they had gained for each other didn't put food on the table. Tobias had completely emptied the corner shop and was adamant that he wanted to head to the larger supermarket the next day. It would have way more food and loads of other supplies that they needed. Now Alex was back on her feet they could make the run to the other side of town together. Tobias still argued she wasn't healed properly but Alex was at the end of her tether inside the fence.

"I swear to god Toby, if I don't get out of here soon I'm going to start tearing my hair out."

"You can hardly walk and..."

"And you can’t go on your own. So unless you're planning on taking Zoe with you this time, I'm coming."

Tobias huffed in defeat and waved her along to tell Zoe their plans. They told her each time Tobias went out despite her constant protests. Alex thought she would stop worrying the more times he would leave and return safely, but with each run Zoe seemed to become more jumpy. She would hardly touch her food at breakfast before he left, murmuring things like "see we've got plenty of food" into Alex's ear. More than enough times she'd plead for Alex to tell an adult where he was going. Time and time again they would tell her it was not an option and anyone else knowing would just be too risky. Today was no different.

They found Zoe and explained the plans for the next day to which she repeated her usual ramble about how dangerous it was. Alex sighed and bid Tobias goodnight as a dismissal to her fussing .

The next morning at breakfast Alex announced that she, Tobias and Zoe would spend the day catching up on school work. A few days before, the parents had decided that all the teenagers needed to do at least a few hours of school work a day to keep them learning about the 'important stuff'. Despite the vast amount of protest, the kids finally gave in after being angrily reminded that if it wasn't for all this shit they would still be doing 7 hours a day at school. Knowing that Billy would rather take a shift on watch and Layla would do anything other than algebra sums, the pair had a perfect alibi before sneaking over the wall. So an hour later when Layla retreated to her room and Billy took his post on the wall, Tobias and Alex decided to prepare for the run. They carried two large backpacks each which they hid under Tobias' bed when they were inside the walls.

Zoe however was sat on the floor acting stranger than usual, her face pale and hands shaking.

"What's wrong Zoe?" Tobias asked, slinging one of the bags over his shoulder. She stared off for a second, her eyes full of worry then glanced away.

"I don't want you to go. It was different when it was the corner shop, it was close and small. But the supermarket is on the other side of town, it'll take you hours to do whatever you need to do. And what if you run into trouble..."

"Tobias has been out on his own the last few times. It must be safer with us doing it together."

"Its not safe. With both of you back out there I've just got another person to worry about not coming home."

"Zoe how many times..." Alex inserted, but Zoe grew defiant and her fear made her snap.

"No Alex, listen. You go off out there and I'm the only one who knows where you are. I have no idea when or even if you'll come back. I'm sick of it. I don't want either of you going out there anymore! And I sure as hell won't be covering for you anymore."

Alex opened her mouth to argue back but Tobias was faster, seeing red before anyone else.

"You think I like going out there?! Do you honestly think I have fun out there? Cause that sure isn't the fucking case. The first time we went out there we saw a little girl torn up in the street... Her body was still warm." He snapped "I risked my life so you can eat. We've risked our lives. And you can't even cover for us so nobody else gets hurt? That's low. We don't have time for this..c'mon Alex, we're loosing daylight."

Tobias push past them and out the door, Alex following behind him. Zoe grabbed her wrist, stopping Alex in her tracks pleading one last time.

"I can't lie to them Alex. They should know just incase anything happens to you. They need to know you go out there. It'll be safer."

Alex twisted her arm out of Zoe's grasp, annoyed.

"I'm not asking you to lie. I'm asking you not to tell." She hissed sharply "And it won't be safer at all. A bigger group means more noise, and that means more walkers. We can't risk it. You know we have to do this. We can’t just hide away in here waiting to die."

"Alex please." she begged one last time.

"We'll be back soon Zoe. You know we always come back."

"But..."

"See you later."

Alex caught up to Tobias as they proceeded over the garden fence and down the passage away from the square. Instead of following the path to their usual destination of the village shops, they turned down the opposite road that lead to the other side of town and to the supermarket. They walked in a comfortable silence, guns in hands, listening for any dangers. Both had become accustomed to each other as they moved along quietly, always alert. What could they talk about really? All the children had spent every waking second in each others company. There wasn't much to talk about anymore and Alex found the silence they shared more enjoyable than the constant bustle that living in the same house as 13 other people brought. They hadn't seen another walker in days, but still kept their wits about them. The two walked for about half an hour until they reached the supermarket. It's huge blue and yellow sign lacked its usual hum of electricity and the usually overflowing car park resembled a ghost town.

Alex approached the dusty glass slowly, wiping it with her sleeve and peering in. It was dark inside but the small amount of sunlight that danced through the window allowed her to see the abandoned isles.

"Looks empty." she confirmed, turning to Tobias.

"Yeah, all the widows and doors seem to be in good shape too." he nodded looking through the window "Nobody's been here since the outbreak."

"Thank the lord." Alex sighed. "I really thought this place would have been picked over too."

"It's a big place, not many people would go in on their own." Tobias reasoned "Besides, most of the town got shipped away when this all happened. There's been nobody around to loot it."

"Yeah that's true." Alex said, peering in once again "How are we gonna get in?"

"Best bet is to pry the sliding doors open. That way, they'll shut behind us so nothing follows us in."

"And getting out?"

"We do the same. Pry them open and leave."

"Sounds like a plan." Alex nodded "Ready?"

"Ready."

Back at home, Zoe paced the landing outside her fathers room. She screamed at herself to just get it over with. Tobias and Alex had pushed their luck too many times and if something happened to them, Zoe would never forgive herself. This was the safest thing for all of them. Zoe had to tell someone.

She was snapped out of her trance as the door opened and both father and daughter were startled by one another.

"You okay Zoe? I never heard you come up." Vincent asked, surveying his child's troubled look "What's wrong?"

She stayed silent but her dad pulled her into his room, concern growing.

"Zoe? Tell me what's wrong." He demanded in a slightly harsher tone, but Zoe just chewed her lip unable to speak.

"If there's something wrong with you or any of the others you need to tell me now." Vincent

spoke calmly but his eyes showed his true panic "You won't be in trouble I just have to tell Danie..."

"No!" Zoe piped up "Please no... don't tell Daniel. Alex and Toby will never forgive me."

"Alex? Zoe what has Alex done?"

"You need to promise me you won't tell Daniel. Dad.. promise me."

"If she's hurt or in danger I have to tell her dad."

"No no no, you don't understand." Zoe argued hastily "If he finds out he'll follow them and then they'll be in more danger."

Her voice trailed off as she realised what she'd over shared. Vincent was silent for a second until it clicked.

"Zoe... Where are Alex and Tobias?" He spoke looking Zoe straight in the eyes. She looked away, tears threatening to spill over. Vincent's concern was only heightened by her silence.

"Zoe I'll ask you one more time. Where are Alex and Tobias?"

"Out." she whispered defeated.

"Out?" He repeated, furrowing his brow in confusion "What do you mean by 'out'?"

Zoe sighed and bowed her head. She could feel his knowing gaze on her and looked up once more.

"Out. Like out there, over the wall." Zoe gestured around frantically trying to explain herself "I tried to stop them. Every time they went out, I told them it was a bad idea."

There was a long pause of silence from Vincent as he begun to comprehend what his daughter was telling him.

"Hold on. What you're trying to tell me is that Alex and Tobias have left! And you didn't think to tell me sooner?!" Vincent was furious with fear "They could die Zoe. What do I tell Dan and Tobias's mum?!"

"They've always came back before." Zoe argued meekly.

"Before!" Vincent was wide eyed with horror "They've been outside the fences before today? Shit Zoe! Why didn't you say anything!?"

"They asked me not too." She said, tears brimming in her eyes "They said it would be too dangerous if anyone found out and followed them. I just couldn't keep it a secret anymore, dad. I'm sorry... I couldn't."

Zoe spluttered, tears rolling down her cheeks. Vincent sighed and anxiously ran his hand over his bearded face.

"Okay..just..shit.." Vincent breathed "How did nobody notice they were getting out?"

"Well it was only the two of them once before today. Tobias went on his own after Alex got hurt. They climbed over the garden fences... snuck down the ally..."

Vincent shook his head in disbelief and just continued trying to work out where they could be.

"Do you have any idea where they've been going? Did they mention anything to you?"

"Alex said they were clearing out Mungos... you know that row of shops at the very top of town?" Zoe explained.

Vincent nodded his head

"Yeah I know where it is but what do you mean by 'clearing out'."

"Fetching supplies. Mainly canned food and anything else they found." She clarified before continuing "But then they got into trouble with some walkers and Alex cut herself trying to escape."

Vincent let out a drawn out breath and Zoe kept explaining

"They've took what they can from them shops and Tobias said he wanted to check out the supermarket."

"The one next to the old bus station?" he asked

Zoe nodded.

"Yeah I think so. They said something about going the other side of town and that's the only supermarket."

"That's a long way to walk. How long ago did they leave?"

"About half an hour ago...but Alex is slow on her leg so they're probably still walking. "

"I'm going after them, and when I'm back we can work out what on earth I'm going to tell Daniel." Vincent said, checking his ammo in his gun "I'll go over the fence so he doesn't see me either."

Zoe's stomach twisted. This was the last thing she wanted, more people out there.

"Dad you don't have to go." she pleaded. "They have each other and they'll come back. They always do. I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore..."

"Zoe you know I can't do that." he gripped her shoulder and squeezed it affectionately "I'll bring them back, I promise."

Moments later, Zoe was stood in the kitchen widow watching her dad disappear over the fence, after Tobias and Alex

The warm stench of putrid meat hit the teenagers as they pried their way inside. Tobias found a discarded trolley and smirked.

"Hop in, I'll push."

Alex snorted.

"Nice try. We still don't know what's in here with us. Let's sweep the place first then maybe I'll take you up your offer later." she suggested, holding her hand over her nose at the smell.

It was clear that it wasn't just the rotting food that was causing the ungodly smell. They were not alone. Tobias put his finger to his lips and both of them stopped and strained their ears. A faint snarl could be heard from the other side of the shop, accompanied by the occasional thump.

"I think it's trapped." Alex said "We should just get what we need and leave."

"Yeah but there could be more. Keep and eye out."

Alex nodded and lead the way down an aisle, torch out so that they could see. Tobias had abandoned his trolley and walked behind Alex with his gun in hand.

The first long row of shelves displayed what once used to be the 'fresh fruit and vegetables'. Now, all that remained were rotting piles of mould and maggot infested cores. Alex swatted away the flies as they rounded into the next aisle. This time they picked through the boxes and cans, dumping what they needed into the four large backpacks they carried between them. They carried on, up and down each row of shelves, collecting everything from tinned fruit to bottled juice and packets of pasta.

"We've really hit the jackpot..." Alex began under her breath as they rounded the final corner.

Her arm flew out, catching Tobias pushing them both backward into the last aisle. Tobias cautiously took a step forward and peered around the shelves. Occupied by the trapped walkers moans and banging was a small herd of at least 8 walkers. All of them pressed against the glass window of the office where the other must have been. Tobias leant further forward, putting more weight on the shelf to get a better look at them. All of the sudden, the metal creaked and collapsed sending glass bottles and cans clanging and smashing on to the floor. Tobias sprang backwards, dragging Alex with him as the walkers whipped around and advanced on them.

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!" Tobias cursed hurrying towards the way they came in, not loosening his hold on Alex's upper arm keeping her close. They weaved their way through the winding aisles, avoiding as many walkers as they could, reluctant to use the guns in fear of attracting more attention. They quickly diverted down another aisle, narrowly missing two Walkers that stumbled towards them. In and out they weaved until they eventually found their way back to the door, but still had two walkers pursuing them. Just as they reached the door three more walkers hobbled out in front of them, completely blocking their exit.

One lunged at Tobias, snarling and snapping. Before it could get a hold of him three gunshots rang through the air. The first two shots hit the walker square in the chest, and the third in the head eventually taking it down causing the children to duck in fright then whip around drawing their own weapons. Vincent stood with his gun raised, shooting at the walkers that stood in front of them, narrowly missing the children. Another two shots took down another walker and Tobias drove down the third with his knife.

For a split second Vincent looked pleased with himself for taking down two walkers then Alex raised her gun in his direction. But a second too late. The bullet left her gun and took down one of the walkers that lunged at Vincent from behind; just as the second sunk it's teeth into the flesh on Vincent's shoulder.


	12. Alone

Vincent sunk to his knees with the Walkers teeth still buried in his shoulder. He let out an angry cry of pain as he wrestled to pry its jaws from his flesh, blood already seeping through his shirt. Alex stumbled forward and plunged her knife through its skull, throwing the body off Vincent as Tobias put down two more walkers with his gun.

Alex grabbed under Vincent's good arm and pulled him to his feet while Tobias kept his gun fixated on the walkers that began to round the corner.

"We've got to go! Tobias, now!" She shouted dragging Vincent frantically towards the door.

Tobias seized Vincent's fallen gun before scurrying forward towards their exit and pried the door open. Alex pushed Vincent out ahead of her and Tobias followed closely, letting the doors snap shut behind him.

Outside, their breaths came heavy and fast from the adrenaline coursing through their veins. Vincent had his hand placed over the bite which did little to stop the steady stream of blood staining his skin and surrounding fabric. Alex straightened herself and met eyes with Tobias before turning to Vincent.

"Vincent... I'm ...Why are you out here?" She asked, her voice soft but pained.

She glanced at the teeth marks in his flesh, closed her eyes and took an unsteady breath. He gave no reply. Instead he kept staring at his wound.

"Did Zoe tell you?" Tobias prompted running his hands through his hair with a sigh. "Did she ask you to come after us?"

Vincent's ears pricked up at the mention of his daughters' name. The glazed look disappeared from his eyes and he shook his head.

"No... um... I ... She told me you came out here... I said I'd bring you both back."

"We all need to get back." Alex corrected "There's been a lot of gunfire so we don't know how many of them around here have heard us. We don't know how many could be heading this way."

"I've been bit." Vincent stated vacantly.

They knew what that meant.

"I can't go back. The Sargent said that's how we turn." he continued "I'm going to turn, and I can't be inside the fence when that happens."

"We don't know how long it will take." offered Tobias sympathetically. "For all we know it could be days before..."

His voice trailed off. The muffled snarls and bangs of the walkers against the glass was momentarily the only sound until Vincent spoke again.

"It has to be the brain."

His voice echoed the orders of the Sargent. This time however, the words were soft and hoarse as if holding back tears. Vincent gestured to his gun in Tobias' hand, eyes pleading. Alex moved forward; between Vincent and the gun.

"No. Not here...not like this." She said sternly. "We're going back and telling everyone what has happened."

"Alex please, you're a smart kid." Vincent sighed sadly "If I don't stop it, I'm going to become one of those things and ... I don't want that."

"I know what it means." she whispered angrily "But I'm not going to execute you on this carpark for more of those corpses to find your body."

"And what would we tell everyone at home? What would you want us to say to Zoe?" Tobias asked trying to sway him.

Vincent was quiet again and looked at his wound, his face etched with pain.

"Look, if you come back with us now at least you'll get to say goodbye before whatever happens, happens." Alex suggested.

Before she got a reply, a distant snarl and drag of feet filled the air. A herd of at least 15 walkers emerged from a nearby street and advanced on the three quickly.

"There's no time for arguing. We've got to go. Right now. Are you coming or not?" Tobias asked desperately. He checked his gun. Two bullets. Alex did the same; three.

Vincent glanced at the herd and then back to children before nodding his head. Tobias thrust his gun back into his hands. One bullet. They couldn't take the walkers down so had to hope they could out pace these persistent corpses.

The three broke into a run past the walkers that made hungry grabs for them. The Square was nearly two miles away and the journey was tedious on foot. About half way home Vincent began to slow, his face paled and sweating. With walkers on their tails they couldn't afford to stop so Alex and Tobias slung one of Vincent's arms around their shoulders and continued to press on. They were slower weighed down by the man but were determined to get him home. Vincent's eyes were drooping and bloodshot and the skin of his arms that was in contact with Alex's neck radiated a scorching heat.

"We shouldn't have made him run." Alex panted, straining under Vincent's weight. He was semi-conscious with his feet still moving but relying on the children to keep him upright.

"He could walk, I thought he would make it back on his own..."

"I know me too, but we don't know how quickly this thing spreads in the first place. Then we made him run..."

Tobias tilted his head upwards in realisation.

"Then he ran. His heart pumped faster so the infection spreads faster." He finished.

"Exactly."

They hobbled along at their slower pace with the herd closing slowly in. Eventually they reached the end of the road and Alex went to turn down the back-alley.

"We'll never get him over the fence in time." said Tobias who readjusted Vincent's arm around his neck. He glanced behind to find the herd no further than a few meters behind them. They quickened their pace as much as they could under the strain of holding up the limp man.

"We need to get them to open up the gate."

They rounded the final corner and began to shout.

"DAD! OPEN THE GATE!"

"PETER QUICK! GET THE GATE!"

At the fence chaos broke out at the sight beyond. Everybody began shouting over one another in panic and confusion as Alex continued to plead for the gate to be opened. Daniel was the fastest down from his post and broke open the chain in his frenzy. Peter helped him heave open the gate on time for the children stumble inside holding onto Vincent and slammed it shut once again as the herd came crashing against it.

Shouting continued as people rushed from the houses towards the commotion. It was all white noise to Alex who trembled from the combination of the weight of Vincent on her shoulders and her exhausted muscles. For a moment the only thing she could hear clearly was the thumping of her heart and her own gasping breath. The sudden sensation of a large hand in a vice like grip on her upper arm snapped her back into focus.

"ALEX! What the fuck!" Daniel bellowed holding onto his daughters' arm with one hand, the other on Vincent's chest steadying him. Instead of acknowledging her father, Alex's eyes lifted to Peter.

"Please we need to get him inside, he's hurt."

The shouts died to worried murmurs as the group noticed the blood stain on Vincent's shoulder. Daniel opened his mouth to question further but Tobias cut him off.

"We'll explain later! Can't you see? He's been bit!"

Silence.

Zoe sobbed and rushed forward towards her father. Betty caught and held her in a bear like hug as his words hung in the air. Peter cleared his throat, letting his calm nurse demeanour take over.

"Daniel help me get him inside." He instructed. Daniel nodded as he moved forward to transfer Vincent from the children's shoulders to their own. "Tobias, Alex, you two follow us. Betty, take everyone to 14 for now, I'll call you through once we work out what has been going on."

Zoe protested with tears rolling down her face as Betty guided her away from where the others were taking Vincent inside. The men lay him on the couch and Vincent slowly opened his eyes through the fever, gaining a bit more consciousness now he was resting.

"Alex go upstairs and get my medical kit. We're going to need to stitch him up."

"No..." Vincent murmured weakly, causing him to splutter "There's no point. I've been bit."

"Yeah mate, we know." Peter reassured calmly "We're just going to clean you up and see what we can do with the..."

"You were there. You we're both there when the Sargent told us what this means." he interrupted again gesturing to the bite. "I'm not going to let you waste your medical supplies on me."

Vincent shakily pushed himself into a sitting position on the leather couch with his face scrunched from the pain of the trivial task. Alex produced a bottle of water from her pack for him which Vincent accepted gratefully. Gently she placed her hand on his forehead; his skin was deathly pale but radiated an intense heat that caused Alex to recoil.

"Why were you outside the fence? How did this happen?" Daniel asked still frustrated. "Jesus Christ Alex! How the hell did you even get out there to begin with."

A wheezing cough silenced Alex before she could even begin explaining. Vincent was trying to speak but his breath was shallow and sweat dripped down the side of his face.

"They've been going out for days apparently." Vincent spluttered trying to take another sip of water "Then I followed and fucked everything up for them."

He smirked and Alex returned a sad smile. The exchange only infuriated Daniel further.

"This still doesn't explain why you were all out there. And how many times?"

"We were going to starve. There was hardly any food left and you weren't going to go out and get more, were you?"

"Alex, that wasn't for you to decide!" Daniel raised his voice. "We could have rationed the food and none of this would have happened."

"The rations would have run out eventually." Alex retaliated and Tobias seemed to move closer to her side.

"It was my idea. I wanted to go and get more supplies and asked Alex to come with me." Tobias reasoned subconsciously moving between Alex and Daniel as he spoke.

"Son, I don't care whose idea it was. What I want to know is why both of you were out over the fence and came back with Vincent bitten."

"We would have starved." Alex said again. "Everyone here is still under the illusion that the army are coming back to save us. Nobody would have listened and we all would have died anyway. That's why we went out. That's why everyone has been able to eat every day for the last 2 weeks."

"We could have waited!" Daniel bellowed. Tobias flinched but stood his ground between father and daughter. "We could have given it at least another week before..."

"Waited for what exactly? You don't actually believe that they're coming, back do you? They said 3 days at most, dad. It's been two and a half weeks. If they were ever coming back, they would have turned up by now. We're alone and must look after ourselves. And that doesn't mean letting the group starve because we're scared of what's out there."

Daniel was taken aback by the truth of his daughters' harsh words. He looked at his feet in silence.

"These two kids took matters into their own hands. And by all accounts they did a pretty good job up until I messed it up for them." Vincent mumbled. "Like she said, we wouldn't have listened to them and probably would have died because we were too stubborn, or too scared to see the truth. Now you know what needs to be done, help them do it. It's just a shame I'm going to have to die before that can happen."

"It's just a bite." said Daniel weakly "We don't know what it means. Not for sure"

"Look at me, mate." Vincent sighed "I was bitten less than an hour ago and I already feel like someone is pumping acid through my veins. My throat feels like someone has hacked at it with broken glass and trying to keeping my eyes open makes my head want to explode. I'm burning up but it feels like I'm lying in a bath of ice. We know that can't be good news."

Tears began to roll down Vincent's cheek as his voice wavered.

"I don't have long left an... and I don't want to become one of those things. Please don't let me become one of them."

Peter stepped forward and took his hand reassuringly.

"We won't mate don't worry. We wouldn't let that happen."

Vincent let his head slump backwards onto the sofa and closed his eyes.


	13. Gone

Zoe sat with her back to the front door, tears rolling freely down her face. This was her fault. Her father was dying and it was her fault. Alex and Tobias told her what would happen and she didn't listen. She thought she knew better. Now her father was dying. Nothing was stopping her from leaving. She wanted nothing more than to run and hide right now, but the guilt shackled her to the floor and squeezed at her throat until it choked out a sob.

Betty had tried to offer some comfort but Zoe remained in her position. Knowing that her father was slowing fading away in the house next door, she could do nothing more that stare blankly at the wall opposite. The minutes ticked by agonisingly slow leaving Zoe's head swim with taunting voices.

This is all your fault.

They warned you, you stupid girl.

All you had to do was listen

You couldn't just keep your mouth shut, could you?

A faint rap on the door behind her brought her back round to her senses. She stayed still. If she didn't move, if she didn't respond, she wouldn't have to accept it was real. The knock came harder this time, growing impatient. Zoe still didn't move.

Betty entered the hallway and silently offered her hand to the girl. After a brief pause Zoe placed her hand into the older woman's and let herself be pulled to her feet. She stared at the floor. The locks clicked and Betty opened the door to Tobias.

"They sent me over to get you guys." He spoke softly "I think Vincent is ready to...umm... He wants to say goodbye."

The tears continued to stream down her cheeks as Betty began to steer her through to the house next door. She could have ran, she could have protested. But she didn't. Instead, when the door was opened to her father, she stood and watched.

Vincents face was sunken and grey but his cheeks were glowing red with fever. A film of sweat coated his skin. His lips were parted allowing sharp shallow breaths to escape with every heave of his chest. At the faint creak of the door, his eyes fluttered open and he attempted a smile for his daughter. He shifted, appearing to try and sit upright, but a fit of coughs racked his body followed by a groan and grimace from the struggle.

You did this to him.

"Zoe." Vincent murmured "Come here, darling."

She walked towards the couch and knelt down besides him, gripping one of his hands in both her own. With the other hand he took her face and used his thumb to wipe away tear. His hand was clammy but Zoe sobbed and nestled her face into it none the less.

"Hey, it's okay. You're gonna' be okay. Zoe, please look at me. Everything is going to be just fine."

"Can't we clean you up? It doesn't look that bad, I'm sure we can just clean it up and it'll be okay. You'll be okay." She babbled through the tears.

Vincent shook his head.

"Look at me Zoe, this isn't just a wound we can bandage up and go on with our lives. You were at the gate with us when the Sargent told us what getting bit means."

A tear began rolling down his cheek and he made no move to wipe it. Zoe scrunched up her face and buried it into her dads chest as he patted the back of her head in comfort.

"Now I'm not sure how long this takes, but I'm not going to become one of those things. Not while I still have the choice."

"Dad please. This is all my fault, I'm so sorry. Please don't go."

"None of this is your fault. Do you hear me? None of it." Said Vincent, his voice weak yet stern. "You did the right thing telling me, I was stupid out there and I was bitten. This is no ones fault but my own."

Alex shifted in the corner of the room.

No, it's my fault.

She kept asking you to not go, but you didn't listen.

You knew how dangerous it was out there and now Vincent is dying for a few cans of beans.

Death wasn't as beautiful or peaceful as she had previously imagined. Vincent had been writhing and groaning for an hour, his body trying to burn out the infection pumping through his veins. He was already a corpse and they were just waiting for his pulse to stop. He was in so much pain. Every breath, every slight movement, caused a murmur of agony. Vincent was suffering and it never seemed to end.

Alex had never lost anyone before. Yes, there had been distant old relatives and family pets, but nothing like this. Vincent was her fathers best friend- there were old pictures of Vincent holding her in the hospital on the day she was born. He wasn't gone yet but Alex's was already mourning the summer days she spent in Zoe's back garden when they were children. Vincent would chase them with a hose pipe as they fought back with water pistols until he surrendered and dropped to the floor when they shot him.

Now they had real guns and Vincent was really dying.

Her chest felt tight as she watched Zoe sob into Vincent's chest and more tears began streaming down the dying mans face.

You did this to them.

"You can't blame yourself." He said, raising his daughters head to look her in the eye. He then turned his head to Alex. "And you, I can see it on your face. You can't blame yourself either. Going outside the fence without telling us was stupid, but the way you handled yourself out there wasn't. You and Tobias kept us fed. Kept us alive. You saw the way things were way before any of us did. So, whatever happens next, neither of you can blame yourselves. This was my mistake and I'm paying the price."

Zoe's arms tightened around her father as she nodded silently. Alex's head was pounding and tears threatened to spill over but she kept her composure by nodding.

"Dan, mate. Remember when we were back in high school and we read that story about the man who killed his best friend because there was a mob of people out to try and kill him? And the guy knew that he couldn't stop them killing his friend so he shot him instead, because he knew that they wouldn't have given him a quick death. It would've been slow and painful."

"And after that we promised each other that if the other was ever suffering that bad, we'd end it for them." Daniel finished sadly "Yeah, I remember."

"You're my best friend. I love you like the brother I never had." Vincent choked out through the tears "I can't let you do something like that, not while I still can do it myself."

"And I love you too mate. I'll stay with you, I promise."

"You don't have to do that. But please, promise me you'll look after Zoe. She's your God daughter and she won't have anyone after I'm gone."

Zoe sniffled at her fathers words.

"Of course we will. We're her family and she'll have us to look after her."

"And Zoe, darling. I am so proud of you, sweetie. I remember the day I found out we were having you and I was terrified. I was so terrified that you'd be just like me and I'd never cope. But you were so much more. You are so much kinder and smarter and gentler than I could ever be. You and your sister became the reason for breathing and I never want you to forget how much I love you. I love you so much."

Vincent was crying freely now with Zoe in his arms.

"I love you too, Dad. Please don't go, I'm scared."

"Hush now. You'll be just fine here with the group. They'll look after you and keep you safe. And I know you're scared, I'm terrified. But you have to promise me you'll keep going. When I was out there and looked into the dead eyes of a walker I realised that the world will never snap back to what it was a few weeks ago. You're scared and upset but you'll have to turn it into something else. Keep learning how to shoot. And keep looking out for one another. You need each other more than anything now."

Vincent's voice had began to trail off and his eyes had drifted shut once more.

"Hey mate, try to keep your eyes open." Peter said, squeezing his good shoulder.

"I think... I think it's time for me to go." Vincent whispered.

"No Dad, please! Please no, please don't go" Zoe begged, almost in hysterics while clinging onto his shirt.

"Zoe, please. I have to do this, I can't become one of them. I have to die while I'm still me. Please."

Alex took a shaky breath and stepped forward.

"Come on Zoe, lets go sit in the garden. We don't want to see this."

Zoe whipped round to Alex causing her to stumble back. She was on her feet and for a second Alex thought Zoe was going to hit her. But instead, she threw herself into the taller girls arms and continued to sob.

Vincent caught Alex's hand and mouthed 'Thank you.'

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. If it weren't for you then we'd both be dead. You saved us."

"Please don't be sorry. The fact that you and the boy are both alive and safe shows that I made the right decision by following you. And I'd do it again. Ten times over."

"Thank you." Alex said, allowing one rouge tear to escape as she squeezed Vincent's hand.

It didn't feel like enough. She wanted to thank him for all the happy memories and scream about how this world wasn't fair. She wanted to breakdown and cry with Zoe. But she needed to be strong. For Zoe and for Vincent. Vincent didn't want his daughter to be witness to the events that were to follow, and Alex needed to be there for her friend.

Zoe kissed her fathers head and Vincent then kissed hers back. They both mumbled a final 'I love you' before Alex guided Zoe out into the garden.

They sat on the step outside holding one another. Zoe cried violently while gasping for air. Alex just stared blankly ahead, rubbing her friends arms in comfort. Peter and Daniel promised to stay with Vincent in his final moments to say there own goodbyes. They were losing a life long friend.

The seconds ticked by once more.

The garden was peaceful. Too peaceful compared to the horrors unfolding inside the house. Flowers still grew in the flowerbed and a bird still flitted between trees. Mother Nature wouldn't stop to mourn the loss of just one person. People die every day.

Any minute now.

This was different. This was one of their own. A life cut short because two teenagers thought that they could save the group and face a world of monsters on their own.

Then there's was a gunshot.

And just like that, Vincent was gone.


	14. Empty seat

The bird took flight at the sound that ended Vincent's life as the grass continued to dance in the breeze. The world had come to an abrupt end a few weeks before and Zoe's last piece of normality had been ripped away. She had flinched and buried her head deeper into Alex's chest with a choked wail. Alex refused to let herself cry. Not now. Instead she sniffled back the tears and cradled her friends head, stroking her hair soothingly.

As Zoe's heart-wrenching sobs subsided into sniffles Alex plucked up the courage to speak.

"Come on, let's get you inside"

Zoe pulled back, panic written across her tear-stained face as she shook her head fiercely, gripping Alex's arm.

"No no no no. I can't. I can't go back in there. Not while he-he's in there."

"Okay Zoe, listen to me, you need to breathe. Just breathe for a second." Alex tried to calm her as she began hyperventilating. "I won't take you through there, okay? I'll go in and see what we're going to do with him and we'll get you through to next door without you seeing him, if that's what you want?"

She nodded at Alex's reassurance and hugged her knees to her chest as Alex stood.

"Are you alright on your own for a bit?"

Zoe nodded again.

Moving from the garden into the kitchen, Alex paused with her hand on the door knob. Her heart began to thud and her hands were now clammy at the realisation of what was behind the door. Vincent was dead. His body was in the living room and Alex would have to see him. She would have to see his dead body. She had seen blood and guts and gore. She had heard the screams of someone being torn apart. She had taken down a handful of walkers herself. But she had never seen somebody she had known die. This was a first. One of their owns lifeless corpse in her home. With a deep inhale to steady her shaking, Alex slowly opened the kitchen door.

Vincent's body lay across the couch, head drooped across the armrest, bullet hole in his temple. Alex tried not to focus on the steady trickle of blood pooling on the wooden floor. Or the gun that had fell from his limp hand. All sign of life had drained from his skin. It no longer looked like Vincent. No more flushed cheeks or furrowed brow. No smile or soul was left of this great, bubbly man that Alex grew up knowing. Nothing. Only a shell.

However it wasn't his dead body that made Alex's skin crawl and bile rise in her throat. It was the blood stained sofa. Her sofa. The sofa where she remembered feeding Charlie and Freddie a bottle for the first time. Where she would jump around with Sam, pretending they were pirates when they were young and carefree. Where she would lay sprawled with her cousins on Christmas Day when they had ate enough to stay full until New Years. Where her mother would complain about the dog jumping up and scratching the leather. Where her father would snore when he dozed off in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon when he claimed to be watching the football. Where she would stay up all night huddled under a blanket, binge-watching a new series until the sun rose on the next day. The sofa that made so many happy memories that Alex didn't realise she held so dear until it became the resting bed of her father's best friend.

It took her a moment to tune into their crying. Peter and Daniel held one another in a bear hug as they mourned their friend. Their best friend had been taken from them too early for them to comprehend. Each of the men had a framed picture in their houses of the day the trio started secondary school together. They all wore a toothy grin and a blazer that was three sizes too big for them. It was because of those three smiling faces vowing to never break their brotherly bond that lead to their daughters sharing a similar friendship. When Alex closed the door behind her, Daniel lifted his head from Peters shoulder and quickly turned away to conceal his tears.

"What are you doing here? Go on, go back outside."

She didn't take her eyes off Vincent as her spoke.

"What are we going to do with him?"

"I... umm... I don't... What do you mean?" Daniel stammered.

"I need to get Zoe inside but she doesn't want to have to see him." Her voice was level and soft and didn't catch in her throat like her father's did.

"We need to give him a proper funeral." Peter said painfully.

"Yeah. We're going to need to find tools to dig a grave. I was thinking out on the square next to one of the trees?"

The men nodded but continued to stare blankly at their friend, making no move to help execute her plan. Seeing how broken her father was made a sudden sense of loneliness wash over Alex and for the first time in weeks, she pined for her old, boring life back. With tears in her eyes, she straightened her back and spoke again.

"Okay, so... umm... I'll... I'll go and get the others to help with that."

Before going through to next door to recruit the rest of the group in digging Vincent's grave, Alex headed upstairs to the linen cupboard and pulled out a large white sheet. On her knees, she bunched up the cloth and inhaled it deeply. The scent was faint but it smelt like home, reminding her of her parents and siblings. She saw the tears on the sheet before she realised she was crying. For the first time that day Alex let her emotions get the better of her and cried, knowing she was away from prying eyes.

'Don't blame yourself.' Vincent had told her; Alex couldn't help herself. If she didn't leave, this would never have happened. Vincent would be alive, Zoe would still have her father and Peter and Daniel would still have their friend. Alex remained on the floor, letting the tears drip down onto the linen until her eyes stung. The tears dried on her cheeks by the time she felt empty again and she clambered to her feet, still clutching the sheet that was stained form her breakdown. She paused at the top of the stairs, breathing deeply to compose herself.

'Go downstairs. Cover his body. Take Zoe next door." Alex mentally listed her tasks.

'Go downstairs.'She repeated as she descended.

With another deep breath she entered the living room. Daniel and Peter were no longer crying but now sat on the sofa opposite Vincent, watching him- as if a bullet in his brain was still not enough to keep their best friend down for long.

'Cover his body.'

Spreading the sheet over his legs and pulling it up to his shoulders, Alex faltered before moving to cover his pale face. She glanced towards her father. Daniel didn't move. Hands quaking, she leant forward and placed a kiss to his forehead before finally covering his face and then walking herself into the garden.

'Take Zoe next door.'

Zoe was still hugging her knees on the doorstep where Alex had left her. Gently, she placed her hand on Zoe's shoulder and the younger girl turned to face her as Alex motioned for her to stand. Snaking an arm around her shoulders, Alex guided her out of the house through the living room. Even though she wouldn't be able to see her father's body, Alex used her other hand to press Zoe's face against her body as they moved, shielding her from the blood-stained sheet.

Next door, Layla was sat on the stairs- eyes puffy and skin blotched, waiting to embrace Zoe the moment they walked through the door. Alex was tall enough to wrap her arms around the both of them and hold them while they wept. She didn't join in the crying this time. Simply held them until they were finished.

"Take her upstairs." Alex whispered to Layla, voice hoarse. "Don't leave her alone. I have to help do some other things."

Alex planted a kiss on Zoe's head before Layla steered her off upstairs. Opening the door to the other living room, she was greeted by a sea of anxious faces, all awaiting the inevitable news. The rest of the group knew what Alex was about to say; the announcement she was about to make. Vincent was dead. They all knew it. But they were waiting for her to say it. The words caught in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak and Betty rushed to her side. She took a second to compose herself and continued.

"Vincent is dead." Alex spoke clearly as more tears began to spill in the room. "He had been bitten on his shoulder and there was nothing we could do to stop it."

The words hung in the air as the group adjusted. Tobias met her eyes but Alex quickly looked away, afraid that holding his gaze would cause her steely demeanour to crumble- they both blamed themselves and his tears were certain to start hers again.

"Did he turn into a walker?" Billy questioned. He had only known Vincent these past few weeks, having minimal interaction with the man so his dry eyes were much easier to take the interrogation from.

"No, he uh, he shot himself... in the head... before that could happen. Kept saying how he 'didn't want to become one of those things' so he ended it before that could happen."

"No." Adrian groaned "Fuck no, man."

"Where's Zoe, the poor thing?" Claire asked through sniffles. "And Peter and Daniel?"

"Layla took Zoe upstairs for some quiet. The other two are still next door. They want a proper funeral for Vincent so I need to get some things to dig a grave."

"What, right now? Isn't that a little soon?" Asked Christie, cradling her baby.

"We don't exactly have a morgue to keep him." Tobias interjected before Alex could answer. "Give it a few hours and his body will start rotting and stinking the house out."

Alex inclined her head towards him, grateful at how quickly he was to defend her but not able to muster up a usual smile.

"Yeah umm we're going have to get moving quickly. We need a pickaxe and a few shovels from the garden shed. It will probably take the rest of today to dig." She then turned to address Adrian, Jayne and Claire. "You three should go next door. My dad and Peter are... well... they're not doing so well and could probably do with having you guys with them."

They nodded and immediately made their way through to the other house to share their grief with the two men.

"And what about you? Are you okay?" Tobias asked gingerly.

"I need to go and get those shovels." She avoided his questions but managed to keep eye contact "Will you help me?"

"Yeah of course." He agreed standing and gesturing for Alex to lead the way.

She needed to escape. The moment she walked into the room, the group had turned to her for answers and her head began to spin with the sudden weight of responsibility. Nobody else knew how this had come to happen and it was Alex they saw dragging the half dead man back inside the gate and it was Alex who emerged first after the gunshot that finished him off. With Daniel and Peter losing themselves in grief, it was left to Alex to pick up the pieces.

Outside, Alex fumbled with the latch on the garden shed, hands to jittery to wriggle the rusting bolt free. Tobias reached out and placed one hand on her shoulder, the other hand hovering over her own where they continued to yank at the lock.

"Hey, hey. Stop for a second." He said, his voice trying so hard to sooth her. "You don't have to do this you know. You can go and be with Zoe and Layla if you prefer?"

"I need to keep busy and help my dad with this."

"Did he ask you to collect the tools for digging?"

"No. They wanted to give him a funeral and you can't have a funeral without a grave. And neither of them were in the right frame of mind to be coming out here and digging a grave for their best friend so I'll just do it. We need to have him buried as soon as we can otherwise he'll start rotting..." she trailed off, finally wrenching the bolt open.

"And what about your state of mind, huh? Vincent was like your uncle and you're out here getting ready to dig his grave." He coaxed. "You need time to process this too."

She screwed her eyes up and shook her head at Tobias' words, acutely aware of his hand still planted on her shoulder.

"Look Alex," he continued with a sigh. "it wasn't our fault. It wasn't yourfault."

His voice cracked and Alex couldn't turn to face him. In that moment she knew that he was only saying what she needed to hear, not what he believed; of course he blamed himself too. They both blamed themselves. How could they not? If it wasn't for their naive stupidity they would have never attempted the trips over the walls on their own and Vincent wouldn't have given his life for some canned food that wouldn't even keep them fed a week.

"You don't need to do this. We couldn't have known..." he continued but Alex cut him off.

"Tobias, please. I know you're trying to help but please listen to what I'm saying; I can't just go and sit with Zoe and Layla while they cry. I'd rather be here doing something helpful." Immediately she regretted snapping at him and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No no, it's fine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you how to deal with this. You tell me what you need to do and I'll try and help you."

Alex covered his hand on her shoulder with her own and gave it a squeeze.

"Help me dig this grave?"

"Anything." He agreed leaning into the shed to take the shovels. Alex grabbed the pickaxe and followed the boy back through the house and onto the square.

They walked to the top left hand corner of the grass, furthest away from the houses they inhabited. Using the pickaxe, they hacked away a rough shape of a rectangle into the ground to loosen the dirt and provide a template for their dig. Wordlessly they begun. Stamping the shovels into the ground and throwing the dirt into a pile. Alternating between the pickaxe and the shovels, they were able to dig a foot deep in just over an hour. Frank appeared baring a bottle of water and a couple of dry crackers for each of them, Adrian in tow, to relieve the pair from the labour. The small group then worked in an efficient rotation system, allowing each of them to have short breaks on the grass.

In the haze of the afternoon Alex could feel her loose shirt clinging to her back and her head throbbed from squinting her eyes against the sun and her tears. With each repetitive swing of the pickaxe and shovelling of the dirt out of the deepening hole, she was able to numb the grief for a few more hours as her hands began to sting with blisters. The deeper they dug, the harder the earth became, slowing their pace and earning a grunt with every strenuous swing. Her wild hair stuck to her sweaty brow and she had fire in her cheeks- looking as though only an ice bath would quench her flames. Tobias however, with his darker complexion, became more like a polished stone. Even when her arms grew tired, she continued swinging and heaving the dirt, determined to get closure before the sun set.

Five hours had past and Alex clambered out of the grave, taking Franks steady hand with her shaky one. The 4 of them stood back to gauge the size of the hole. At best, they had dug four and a half foot downwards but the sky had become washed with hue of pale red and they were quickly losing light.

"I think that's deep enough." Adrian declared, leaning most of his body weight onto the shovel.

"Doesn't it have to be 6ft deep?" Tobias questioned, exhausted and dreading the answer.

"No. Not this one at least." Alex spoke up, breath still ragged. "Graves are usually 6ft deep because at that depth scavengers, like foxes, can't smell the body anymore so it stops them from digging it up."

The men looked at her, confused, but didn't further question the information she reeled off. Alex wiped her brow with the back of her sleeve, smearing mud across her face.

"I'll go and get the others. We need to do this funeral now unless we want to be burying Vincent by moonlight." Said Adrian, walking off towards the houses.

Ten minutes later, he had re-emerged struggling to bear the dead-weight of Vincents body along with Daniel and Peter. With as much dignity as they could provide, they solemnly walked his body over to where they were stood; the rest of the group following the short funeral march. Zoe hung off Layla and both of them were sniffling as they made their way back into Alex's embrace.

Peter had hopped into the grave and quickly nodded towards Daniel, silently telling the other man that he was ready. Daniel nodded back and locked his jaw against any emotion before scooping under the shoulders of the cloth-wrapped bundle off the ground. The once white sheet was now stained with blood, dust and mud. Daniel bore the brunt of the weight, while Peter manoeuvred Vincent's feet as they lowered him into the ground. They held him, just for a second longer, not wanting to let go of their friend once and for all.

Alex had never been to a funeral before. She didn't expect the sky to be painted with a beautiful sunset or to dig the grave herself at the first one she attended. Yet here they were, on the dusk of the same day Vincent had passed, mumbling a few choked words of apology and love to his body in the ground. They vowed remembrance to his smile and protection to his daughter. Stories from Vincent's childhood, teenage years and adulthood had been affectionately reeled off by those who knew him until there wasn't a dry eye around the grave. Whispered goodbyes and heartfelt words of respect came tumbling out of each persons mouth, one by one. Plagued with even more guilt than before, Alex could do nothing more but rub Zoe's back in slow, comforting circles despite the girl being inconsolable.

When they fell into a pensive silence, Daniel reached for the shovel and begun returning the dirt to the hole. Alex had to remind herself that he couldn't feel the clumps of earth and rock being thrown back onto his body. Peter took the other shovel and joiners the effort. The sun dropped lower and lower in the sky as the grave was slowly filled. Nobody dared moved as they watched the white sheet disappear beneath the ground. As they patted down the last of the unearthed dirt, Billy stepped forward and offered out what seemed to be a white bathroom tile. On the front, 'Vincent' was painted in neat, black lettering. To Alex's surprise, Zoe took the tile from Billy and placed it at the head of the grave.

"I love you dad." She managed to whisper through the tears.

The group retreated from the moonlight back into number 14 for some food before they turned in for the night. Betty and Frank kindly offered to take the first night watch shift with Jayne and Christine taking over later. The dark circles under everyone's eyes highlighted both the physical and emotional exhaustion they all felt. As the rations were passed around, the room was vacant of its usual chatter. At the adults table, there was an empty seat that nobody could bring themselves to fill.


End file.
